asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs why the de-oxyribosc nuclei acid pilot scheme now taking place in the sub-continent is being confined to Pakistan and Bangladesh; and if he will make a statement.
DNA testing in immigration cases is useful only if the claim depends on a parent-child relationship which is not proved by existing procedures. The only outstanding cases at the time of the pilot scheme involved people already in the United Kingdom, or these two countries. We recognise, however, that DNA testing is potentially of value in considering applications from other countries. Decisions on the incorporation of DNA testing into our immigration control procedures will be made in the light of the outcome of the pilot scheme.