HGC and Genomics Forum Citizens' Inquiry into Forensic Use of DNA gets underway

Released: 19 February 2008

In partnership with the ESRC Genomics Forum, the Human Genetics Commission’s Citizens’ Inquiry into the forensic use of DNA and genetic information is about to get underway with the appointment of Blackburn-based research consultancy Vis-à-vis RC Ltd. to facilitate the process. The inquiry will involve up to two hundred people at group sessions in Birmingham and Glasgow with participants linked by live video.

Key discussions will centre around the police national DNA database, which currently holds over four million DNA profiles, representing the highest roportion of any population on a forensic DNA database worldwide. The results of the Inquiry will feed into the HGC’s report to the Government on forensic use of DNA in 2008.
The Inquiry is partly funded by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills’ Sciencewise programme, the Wellcome Trust and the Genomics Forum. It is managed by the HGC in partnership with Sciencewise, the Genomics Forum and the Policy, Ethics and Life Sciences Research Centre (PEALS).

According to HGC Chair Sir John Sulston “There is an important balance to be struck between individual rights and public safety and we need to know how people feel about these issues.” The Forum would like to acknowledge an error made in the last Newsletter where – in a preliminary discussion of this project – it was suggested that information from other collections of genetic material (including UK Biobank) is also available to users of the national DNA database. This is not the case. Both legal and technical measures are taken to ensure that Biobank and other research databases are not accessible to users of the NDNAD.

Ends

Professor Yearley is available for comment.