Parliamentary Search

Written question asked by Grant Shapps (Conservative) on Monday, 31 March 2008, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 2 April 2008. It was answered by Meg Hillier (Labour) on Monday, 27 October 2008 on behalf of the Home Office.

Genetics: Databases

Question
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people are profiled on the national DNA database who had samples taken whilst they were under 18 years of age; and how many of these are now adults and have not been charged or cautioned with an offence, broken down by sex.
Answer

Table 1 shows the numbers of those on the National DNA Database (NDNAD) who were profiled when under 18, regardless of their age now. Table 2 shows the number who are currently under 18. Table 3 shows the number of those who were under 18 at the time they were profiled, but are now over 18. In each case the figures are broken down by sex. 'Unassigned' means that the arresting officer did not complete the section of the form referring to the person's sex. The figures provided are for English and Welsh police forces only, and provide a snapshot of the NDNAD at 14 August 2008.The number of profiles on the NDNAD is not the same as the number of individuals as a profile may be a replicate, that is, a profile may have been loaded on more than one occasion. This can occur if a person gives a different name, or different version of their name on separate arrests, or if a profile is upgraded. The current replication rate for the whole NDNAD is 13.3 per cent. The replication rate for various subsections of the NDNAD may differ from this so the figures for individuals are estimates.The NDNAD does not hold information on criminal histories; this information is held on the Police National Computer (PNC). Information about the number of persons who were sampled when under 18 and have not been charged or cautioned with an offence could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Table 1: Those whose profile was added to the NDNAD when under 18 (regardless of their current age)
Number
Gender Total profile count Estimated individuals
Female 278,940 241,841
Male 779,925 676,195
Unassigned 8,476 7,349
Total 1,067,341 925,385
Table 2: Those on the NDNAD who are currently under 18
Number
Gender Total profile count Estimated individuals
Female 106,098 91,987
Male 237,117 205,580
Unassigned 1,124 975
Total 344,339 298,542
Table 3: Those whose profile was added to the NDNAD when they were under 18 who are now 18 or over
Number
Gender Total profile count Estimated individuals
Female 172,842 149,854
Male 542,808 470,615
Unassigned 7,352 6,374
Total 723,002 626,843

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
481 c676-7W; 198642
Session
2007-08
Related items
Subjects
Databases Genetics
Link
View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk