Written question asked by Lord Field of Birkenhead (Labour) on Wednesday, 10 December 2008, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 15 December 2008. It was answered by Alan Campbell (Labour) on Tuesday, 16 December 2008 on behalf of the Home Office.

Genetics: Databases

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many times the national DNA database has been accessed in relation to a case where (a) a conviction was made and (b) a conviction was not made; and how many convicted individuals in such circumstances had a DNA profile on the database but had no prior conviction.

Answer: [holding answer 15 December 2008]: The National DNA Database (NDNAD) functions by comparing subject profiles taken from individuals against DNA crime scene profiles retrieved from unsolved crimes. It cannot be accessed directly by the police service. The NDNAD currently generates around 3,100 matches per month. Details of matches are sent to the relevant police force, providing key intelligence on the possible identity of the offender.Information on the number of convictions in which DNA profiles from the NDNAD have been used in evidence is not collected by the Home Office, as convictions are obtained by integrated criminal investigation and not by forensic science alone.However, data have been collected since 1998 on the number of crimes detected in which a DNA match was available and/or played a part in solving the crime. It is estimated that over the period April 1998 to March 2008, there have been over 272,000 such detections.Information on the number of detections/convictions in which DNA subject sample profiles on the NDNAD taken from persons with no previous convictions have been used in evidence is not available from the NDNAD, nor is it available from police force data collected by the Home Office on forensic activity and related detections. The NDNAD holds DNA profiles taken from persons arrested for a recordable offence but does not hold data on their criminal histories; this information is held on the police national computer (PNC).

Secondary information