Written Ministerial Statement by (The Minister of State for
Immigration)
Today I am announcing the publication of the Home Office Response
to Darra Singh’s Review of the Home Office response to the
mandating of DNA for immigration purposes. The Home Secretary
commissioned this review to provide independent oversight of the
effectiveness of remedial action taken by the Department when the
incorrect mandating of DNA evidence came to light last year.
The Review recognises the considerable efforts made by the
Department, once the issue came to light, to assess the scale of
the problem and prevent its recurrence, and to identify those
affected and take remedial action, including reimbursing DNA
testing costs where appropriate. The Review acknowledges that
good progress has been made to update guidance on DNA and to
provide training on this issue.
While the Review acknowledges the hard work behind the immediate
response, it comments that the effective direction provided by
the Critical Incident process could have been put in place at an
earlier stage. The Review also identifies areas where the Home
Office’s approach to sampling, data collection, and assurance in
this instance could have been improved.
The Department accepts the recommendations made in the report and
has already taken action on them. Furthermore, beyond this
specific issue the Department is focused on meeting the
individual needs of the public we serve by improving customer
service, ensuring we better protect the vulnerable and focusing
on becoming more of a listening organisation.
I will arrange for copies of the report and Home Office response
to be placed in the Libraries of the House.
The Home Secretary and I would like to thank Darra Singh for his
considerable effort in producing the report and its
recommendations.
