To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many DNA profiles of subjects aged (a) under 10, (b) 11 to 18 and (c) over 18 years were added to the national DNA database in 2008; and how many in each category have been added in 2009 to date; (265892)

The figures given in Table 1 show the number of profiles added to the national DNA database (NDNAD) by police forces in England and Wales in 2008, broken down by age. The figures given in Table 2 show the number of profiles added to the NDNAD by police forces in England and Wales in 2009 (at 23 March), broken down by age. The age groups represent the age of an individual on the date when their profile was loaded on to the NDNAD. The figures show the number of profiles added to the NDNAD; some of these have since been deleted.

Information on the number of DNA profiles of children under 10 held on the NDNAD on 1 December 2008 and 1 March 2009 is not available and cannot be obtained retrospectively. However, information is available for other dates in December 2008 and March 2009. On 16 December 2008, there were 62 profiles held on the NDNAD by England and Wales forces of children who were aged under 10.

There were also a further 29 profiles of children who were aged under 10 when their profile was loaded on to the NDNAD but who were aged 10 or over on 16 December 2008. On 2 March 2009 there were five profiles held on the NDNAD of children who were aged under 10; and one profile of a child who was aged under 10 when his/her profile was loaded on to the NDNAD but who was aged 10 or over on 2 March.

Table 2 shows that four profiles from children aged under 10 have been loaded to the NDNAD since December 2008. The four samples may have been taken by forces and sent to a forensic laboratory for profiling before 16 December 2008, and then loaded on to the NDNAD by the laboratory at the end of the automated profiling process. These four profiles have since been deleted and at 5 March 2009 all profiles of children who were under 10 when their profile was loaded (regardless of current age) held by England and Wales forces had been deleted from the NDNAD.