HC Deb 25 February 2004 vol 418 c455W
Mr. Grogan

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the Oral Answer of 19 January 2004,Official Report, column 1073, on the Forensic Science Service, what extra resources the Forensic Science Service requires in (a) one-off capital investment and (b) additional annual revenue. [155935]

Ms Blears

The independent McFarland Review found the Forensic Science Service (FSS) to be significantly under-capitalised, a situation compounded by the constraints of Trading Fund status. The actions we are taking to develop the FSS as a Public Private Partnership (PPP) will ensure it has the commercial freedoms necessary to develop and build on its proven ability as a world leader.

The future financial requirements of the FSS are currently being addressed in work under way to produce an outline business case that will look in greater detail at how best to optimise its performance and economic prospects.