Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 867: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will put in place a national database for DNA records; and the legislative requirements before such a database could be established. [23571/08]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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The drafting of the Criminal Justice (Forensic Sampling and Evidence) Bill has been approved by Government. This Bill will provide an updated statutory framework for the taking and use of forensic samples and will repeal the Criminal Justice (Forensic Evidence) Act 1990. A central element of this updated framework will be the establishment of a DNA database for the purposes of criminal investigations and the identification of missing or unknown deceased persons or seriously injured persons. The Bill will draw on the recommendations of the Report of the Law Reform Commission concerning the establishment of a DNA Database (LRC 78-2005).

Drafting of the Bill is ongoing and I expect to be in a position to publish it in the Autumn. The Deputy will appreciate that a Bill of this nature requires careful drafting, to ensure, on the one hand, that it contains adequate safeguards for the rights of those from whom forensic material is to be taken while at the same time providing a practical framework that maximises the potential benefits of such a database from the operational and technical perspectives of the Garda Síochána, the Forensic Science Laboratory and the Director of Public Prosecutions.