§ Laura MoffattTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of the Forensic Science Service is contracted out to private operators. [146537]
§ Ms BlearsThe Forensic Science Service (FSS) does not contract out work undertaken in provision of forensic science services to the police service and law enforcement agencies to private operators. The FSS uses private operators solely for the supply of non-scientific support services unrelated to forensic sciences.
§ Mr. BestTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department where, and for how long, DNA samples are held by the Forensic Science Service. [146203]
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§ Ms BlearsRetention periods depend on the purpose for which the sample was taken, and are as follows
Crime scene samples on unsolved cases may be kept indefinitely, especially for the more serious cases. For crime scene samples on solved cases the usual retention period is seven years, but it may be up to 30 years for serious crimes in case of a possible miscarriage of justice.Following amendment of Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 by the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 samples of suspects can now be held indefinitely.Where individuals have volunteered to provide a sample for intelligence purposes these may also be retained indefinitely provided the individual has given their written consent for its retention.In all cases samples are either stored by the Forensic Science Service (FSS) laboratory that dealt with the case or in the FSS central archive in Birmingham.