The number of digital forensics laboratories accredited by UKAS can be accessed through the website of the UKAS:

https://www.ukas.com/browse-accredited-organisations/?org_cat=4938&parent=&type_id=2

The Government is committed to ensuring that appropriate quality standards are met across the system and supports the Forensic Science Regulator’s call for police forces to achieve accreditation for a range of forensic techniques. However, the commissioning of forensic tests is an operational matter for the police and the Home Office does not collect information on the number of specimen examined within laboratories of any kind not in compliance with ISO 17025.

The Home Office does not hold information on the number of laboratories of all kind accredited to ISO 17020 or ISO 17025, but this information can be accessed through the website of the UK Accreditation Service: https://www.ukas.com/browse-accredited-organisations/?org_cat=2242&&parent=&&type_id=2

In her latest annual report, published on 15 March 2019, the Forensic Science Regulator set out her view of the national picture for accreditation. The report can be accessed through the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/786137/FSRAnnual_Report_2018_v1.0.pdf

The Government is committed to ensuring that appropriate quality standards are met across the system and supports the Forensic Science Regulator’s call for police forces to achieve accreditation for a range of forensic techniques. However, the commissioning of forensic tests is an operational matter for the police and the Home Office does not collect information on the number of specimen examined within laboratories of any kind not in compliance with ISO 17025.

The Home Office does not hold information on the number of laboratories of all kind accredited to ISO 17020 or ISO 17025, but this information can be accessed through the website of the UK Accreditation Service: https://www.ukas.com/browse-accredited-organisations/?org_cat=2242&&parent=&&type_id=2

In her latest annual report, published on 15 March 2019, the Forensic Science Regulator set out her view of the national picture for accreditation. The report can be accessed through the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/786137/FSRAnnual_Report_2018_v1.0.pdf

The Government is committed to ensuring that appropriate quality standards are met across the system and supports the Forensic Science Regulator’s call for police forces to achieve accreditation for a range of forensic techniques. However, the commissioning of forensic tests is an operational matter for the police and the Home Office does not collect information on the number of specimen examined within laboratories of any kind not in compliance with ISO 17025.

The Home Office does not hold information on the number of laboratories of all kind accredited to ISO 17020 or ISO 17025, but this information can be accessed through the website of the UK Accreditation Service: https://www.ukas.com/browse-accredited-organisations/?org_cat=2242&&parent=&&type_id=2

In her latest annual report, published on 15 March 2019, the Forensic Science Regulator set out her view of the national picture for accreditation. The report can be accessed through the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/786137/FSRAnnual_Report_2018_v1.0.pdf

In each of the four years leading up to 2018/19, there were 48 providers of cytology laboratory services operating across England. By the end of the year 2018/19, this number had reduced to 46 as two providers did not wish to continue providing cytology services.

NHS England is currently undertaking a national procurement to secure service providers to deliver human papillomavirus (HPV) primary screening, and as part of this process NHS England will consolidate the 46 laboratories who currently support the programme to a maximum of nine laboratories. The HPV pilot evaluation suggested that the need for cytology could reduce by as much as 85% when HPV testing is used as the primary screen.

The successful providers are expected to be announced in April 2019 and five year contracts will commence from July 2019. Providers are expected to convert to HPV primary screening by December 2019, and operate from a single site by 31 March 2020.

Suppliers provide a wide range of cleaning and disinfectant products to the NHS through various NHS Supply Chain framework agreements.

The NHS Supply Chain framework agreement specifications state that the standards and regulations for products submitted by suppliers must meet mandatory minimum quality requirements. On submission of products to NHS Supply Chain, suppliers are required to provide evidence of compliance to a wide range of standards as detailed in the specification, for example, market authorisation from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) or European Medicines Agency (EMA) in compliance with the Medicines Act 1968 (as amended); or testing by an accredited laboratory.

Where it is required that laboratory test reports are provided, and NHS Supply Chain have asked this of their suppliers, the NHS Supply Chain Technical Team would review the subsequent test data provided to ensure that the source of the data meets the requirements stated – for example, the data is from a United Kingdom Accreditation Service or equivalent accredited laboratory. Any concerns over the test laboratory’s capability and accreditation to perform the required testing to the standards required would be raised prior to a supplier being awarded to the Framework.

These standards and regulations are determined following wide stakeholder engagement (clinical, direct supplier and wider industry) prior to the launch of a new tender and in the development of the specification document. A combination of laboratory reports, certificates, for example, the MHRA, and supplier declarations of conformity provide NHS Supply Chain with assurance that products meet the requirements of the specification.

NHS Supply Chain contractually reserves the right to test the supplier’s goods at the supplier’s expense or request further information from the applicant to ensure the goods comply with the specification at any time during the procurement process, and, if awarded a contract, over the lifetime of the Framework Agreement. In the event that the product(s) do not meet the specification, NHS Supply Chain reserves the right to exclude the affected goods from the Framework Agreement.

The National Health Service Long Term Plan sets out specific workforce actions developed by NHS Improvement and others to have positive impact for workforces, including the screening and diagnostic workforce. NHS Improvement and the Department will discuss these actions when the education and training budget for Health Education England is set in 2019. This includes a proposal to recruit an additional 1,500 clinical and diagnostic staff across seven priority specialisms between 2018 and 2021.

With specific reference to the national cervical screening programme that includes NHS laboratories, the replacement of liquid based cytology with human papillomavirus (HPV) testing as the primary screen, has had a significant impact on the ability to maintain staff in the cervical screening programme’s laboratory workforce. The HPV pilot evaluation suggested that the need for a cytology workforce could reduce by as much as 85% when HPV testing is introduced as the primary screen during 2019.

NHS England is undertaking a national procurement process to secure providers of laboratory services to deliver HPV primary screening across England. The outcome of the process will be known by the end of April 2019, with national coverage in place by December 2019.

To maintain the service and accommodate current staffing levels a majority of existing HPV pilot sites and some non-pilot sites have already converted more of their cervical screening activity to HPV primary screening, freeing up cytology capacity.

In addition, Professor Sir Mike Richards is leading a major review of national cancer screening programme pathways as part of the NHS Long Term Plan’s renewed drive to improve care and save lives. Professor Richards’ review is due to report in summer 2019.

As part of the Genomic Testing Services procurement NHS England is procuring seven Genomic Laboratory Hubs to act as a national network to deliver an equitable national genomic testing service. The procurement was launched in December 2017 and the evaluation process is currently ongoing.

The Genomic Laboratory Hubs will form a key part of the infrastructure for the national Genomic Medicine Service, which will go live from October 2018.

The Food Standards Agency’s Board proposed in December 2017 that investigating official laboratories in a systematic review was an important priority. The first phase of the review will address the availability of services to Government departments to ensure official controls can be carried out effectively. A report of this review is expected by March 2019.

In response to the recommendations of the Elliott Review, the following actions that have been undertaken to address the integrity and assurance of the food supply networks include:

- Creation of a United Kingdom Virtual Food Authenticity Network to bring together centres of scientific expertise on food standards; and

- Supporting sharing analytical best practice on food standards across laboratories via a new coordinated knowledge transfer programme to upskill laboratories in the application of analytical methods and support food law enforcement; and supporting the Mastership in Chemical Analysis (MChemA).

The Government response to the Elliott review of the integrity and assurance of food supply networks was published in September 2014. A copy is attached. This document provides the details of the Government’s actions and commitments to address the recommendations of the Elliott Review and was open to the public for further enquiries and comments.

In the United Kingdom, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is the body responsible for animal health and welfare rules. The Food Standards Agency is the responsible body for food and feed law. Both Government bodies are responsible for ensuring the staff carrying out official controls have access to adequate laboratory capacity.

United Kingdom Standards for Microbiology Investigations (UK SMIs) B 37: Investigation of blood cultures (for organisms other than Mycobacterium species) are developed by the UK SMI Working Groups under the auspices of Public Health England. SMI B 37 describes the processing and microbiological investigation of blood cultures and aims to set standards for each stage of the investigative process. These can then be used as a benchmark to audit against by certification and accreditation bodies if they wish.

The UK SMIs are not mandatory and there is no legal obligation to follow the recommendations in UK SMIs. In using UK SMIs, laboratories should take account of local requirements and undertake additional investigations where appropriate.

UK SMIs are National Institute for Health and Care Excellence accredited and represent a good standard of practice. NHS England has included compliance with UK SMIs in the National Health Service Standard Contract 2017-18.

NHS Improvement is leading the transformational changes in pathology services across England, with the formation of 29 Pathology Networks serving England well underway. These networks will realise an improved quality of service, timely access to diagnostic results and access to expert clinical advice in this very diverse clinical specialty.

One of the most significant benefits of this reconfiguration will be to increase the availability of microbiology services, so vital in the diagnosis of life threatening conditions such as sepsis. Currently not all microbiology services are available 24/7 and access to state of the art equipment is variable.

The establishment of networked pathology services will allow for best practice to be deployed across trusts, not only allowing for 24/7 services and faster access to targeted treatment, but also ensuring the latest technology such as molecular genetic testing is available to more patients. To support this development, this year the Government announced £61.5 million to develop the laboratory and IT infrastructure needed to monitor and review results and systems from any point in the network.

NHS Improvement are also working closely with the Office of Life Sciences to ensure digitisation and deployment of artificial intelligence is built in to ensure maximum benefit to the National Health Service and patient outcomes as these technologies develop.

These transformational changes are being performed with the full engagement of the pathology professional bodies and working with the Department’s procurement category tower 8 to improve the purchasing power and choice of equipment to the NHS.

The UK is working towards a comprehensive future agreement with the EU which includes securing the freest and most frictionless trade possible in goods. The UK wants to ensure a smooth exit which minimises disruption for businesses and consumers when goods are placed on the UK and EU market. With regards to third party conformity and certification procedures, the Government’s aim is to provide maximum legal certainty and confidence to citizens, consumers and businesses.

My Lords, individual police forces decide which providers they use to carry out digital forensic science services. The Government have been clear that accreditation should be an important factor when procuring these types of services, and continue to support the police to develop and share best practice in this area. The Government welcome the introduction of the Forensic Science Regulator Bill, which will put the regulator on a statutory footing.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they propose to take any action in relation to the outsourcing by police forces of digital forensic investigation work to unaccredited private laboratories.

I agree entirely with the noble Lord that police forces should use accredited service providers when they outsource digital forensic services. I mentioned a moment ago that the Forensic Science Regulator Bill, which was introduced last week, will give the forensic science regulator the statutory powers that she needs in order to enforce high standards in this area. In the meantime, I have looked at the report of the forensic service regulator. She referred specifically to some of the problems mentioned by the noble Lord and went on to say:

“Although the impact of these issues has been large, they arose from the actions of a very small number of individuals and should not be taken as a reflection on forensic scientists more widely … the vast majority of forensic science practitioners, whether working within commercial organisations, government-funded organisations (including policing) or elsewhere, are committed to providing high-quality scientific work to support the Criminal Justice System”.

The Government are also sponsoring research in order to drive up standards in this area.

My Lords, at least 15 police forces have outsourced digital forensic work to unaccredited private companies, some of which are subject to no regulatory oversight. One with accreditation had it withdrawn law year but continued to perform work for the prosecution, while another serving 30 forces collapsed in January, costing those forces millions of pounds. Only 15 out of 43 forces achieved minimum standards in their in-house laboratories by the deadline of last October. Given the importance of forensic evidence in the justice system, what steps will the Government take to ensure that the quality of the work is improved and that concerns about the failure to disclose key digital evidence cited by the head of the criminal Bar, the Justice Committee and a joint report by the police and the Crown Prosecution Service are met?

On the specific issue of disclosure, which is important, the noble Lord will know that the Attorney-General has instituted a review, which will examine existing codes of practice, protocols, guidelines and legislation, as well as case management initiatives and capabilities across the whole criminal justice system, including how digital technology is used. Alongside that, the CPS and police forces are looking at any current cases to see that no cases go forward where there is a doubt about the disclosure process. The Government continue to monitor progress to ensure the police and the CPS deliver on the actions they have committed to undertake on the important issue of disclosure.