Mary Henry (Independent)

There are many factors relating to DNA screening which have not been examined. Section 14 makes no mention of who has access to this DNA and does not mention whether it will be codified or whether it will be examined for signs of inherited diseases or dominant and recessive genes. The human genome is being unravelled around us much faster than we expected. Can one examine a DNA sample to find out if the person in question has some genetic abnormality which might mean that he or she is developing a mental abnormality like Huntingdon's disease? What can we do with this DNA? We do not know who will have access to it, what they can do with it or what they are allowed look into. All we are hearing is that this DNA evidence will be destroyed after 12 months, instead of six months. It is possible to do an considerable amount with a DNA sample in a few hours. It will not simply have implications for the person from whom it is taken, who may never be charged with an offence. It will also have implications for that person's family if we do not know who will have access to the sample. For example, there is nothing in the section to say that insurance companies cannot access these samples. It is not like taking a person's fingerprint. DNA testing provides so much more in the way of information that we must be very careful about who has access to DNA samples and the degree to which we unravel this DNA.