[holding answer 4 December 2006]: It was changes to the law introduced by the Railways and Transport Safety Act 2003 which encouraged a particular focus on the possibility of a device that could derive a reliable indication whether a person had a drug in his body from a sample of sweat or saliva. Work to develop a specification for such a device has been part of this focus, but it is not possible to give a precise date for when it began. Consideration of how best to test for the presence of drugs in a driver had been under way for some time before that at both the Home Office Scientific Development Branch and the Forensic Science Service and broader work continues alongside the development of a specification.
The development has involved outside academic experts and consultation with industry and other interested parties. The most recent consultation took place in summer this year. A specification will be issued as soon as the results of this consultation and any further consultation that might be necessary has been fully taken into account. No specific date has been set for the completion of the work, as this will depend on the outcome of the consultation. There would be no value in a specification that did not meet all the appropriate requirements.
The work has also had regard to relevant research, particularly the joint European/USA ROSITA-II study. The findings are available at www.rosita.org. A wide range of problems was found with the different devices tested, both in their accuracy and sensitivity and in their operational use. The specific conclusion was that
“no device was considered to be reliable enough in order to be recommended for the roadside screening of drivers”.