HL Deb 16 January 2003 vol 643 cc57-8WA
Baroness Hilton of Eggardon

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they plan to take samples from prisoners whose DNA is not currently on the national DNA database. [HL1124]

Lord Falconer of Thoroton

The DNA expansion programme is a major government initiative that has been developed to enable the police to make maximum benefit of DNA in tackling crime. Home Office funding has been made available to enable the police to take DNA samples from all people cautioned or charged with a recordable offence and from as many crime scenes as possible. The database has already played a leading role in solving a large number of crimes.

A number of prisoners and mentally disordered offenders do not have DNA on the database as they were convicted before the DNA expansion programme enabled every offender to be DNA sampled. An exercise is now under way to identify those offenders without DNA on the database and to ensure that a sample is taken before they are released from prison or hospital. This prisoner DNA sampling programme is being run under the auspices of the existing DNA expansion programme.

A dedicated programme management team has been recruited and is developing plans to ensure that the majority of those without DNA profiles on the database do provide them by summer 2003. Centrally managed but regionally based teams of police officers working in close co-operation with prison and mental health establishments will ensure a speedy completion of the exercise with minimal impact on the estabishments involved.

The exercise will underpin the Home Office aims of reducing crime, increasing the efficiency of crime investigation and increasing successful prosecutions. If known offenders can be linked to their offences more often and more quickly, then we will be able to detect and deter more crime in the future and also improve victim reassurance and so contribute to reduction of the fear of crime.

The prisoner DNA sampling programme and the broader DNA expansion programme are clear examples of the use of science and technology to reduce crime and improve the effectiveness of the police. In the national policing plan, published recently, we state our commitment to ensure that the DNA database covers all known active offenders by 2004.