Genetics: Databases

Jenny Willott
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what powers chief constables have to order the retention or removal of entries from the national DNA database; and if she will make a statement.

Meg Hillier
I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for West Bromwich, West (Mr. Bailey) on 21 February 2008, Official Report, column 824W.

Mr. Greg Knight
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Yorkshire residents had samples of their DNA recorded on the National DNA Database at the latest date for which figures are available.

Meg Hillier
[holding answer 11 March 2008]: The National DNA Database (NDNAD) does not hold address details, and it is not, therefore, possible to provide figures for the number of people who are resident in the Yorkshire area. The following table gives figures for people sampled by the Yorkshire police forces, however, these people may not be resident in the area in which they were sampled. There are two figures for each force: the number of profiles, and the estimated number of individuals. The number of profiles held on the database 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, for example, if the person provided different names, or different versions of their name, on separate arrests, or because profiles are upgraded.

At present, the replication rate is 13.3 per cent., that is, the number of people whose details are loaded is 13.3 per cent. fewer than the number of profiles.

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|Police force              |Subject profiles|Estimated number of individuals|
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|North Yorkshire           |55,879          |48,447                         |
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|South Yorkshire           |117,023         |101,459                        |
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|West Yorkshire            |214,362         |185,852                        |
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|Total for Yorkshire forces|387,264         |335,758                        |
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