To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people resident in Northern Ireland have details registered on the National DNA Database. (254270)

The number of subject profiles on the National DNA Database (NDNAD) submitted by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) was 65,082 as at 3 February 2009.

The NDNAD does not hold any information on the place of residence of a person whose DNA is sampled. This figure therefore includes residents of areas other than Northern Ireland who were sampled by the PSNI, and excludes residents of Northern Ireland who were sampled by other police forces.

The number of profiles held on the NDNAD is not the same as the number of individuals. As it is possible for a profile to be loaded onto the NDNAD on more than one occasion, some profiles held on the NDNAD are replicates. This can occur if, for example, a person provided different names, or different versions of their name, when arrested on different occasions. At present, the average replication rate on the whole NDNAD is estimated to be 13.3 per cent. However, this figure may vary between police forces.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 13 January 2009, Official Report, column 710W, on genetics: database, what steps she plans to take to comply with the S and Harper judgment in relation to retention of DNA information from people not convicted of a crime. (255016)

I refer to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Pendle (Mr. Prentice) on 29 January 2009, Official Report, column 809W.