Dan Neville (Limerick West, Fine Gael)
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Question 69: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform his plans in respect of the creation of a DNA database; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27161/08]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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A central element of the Criminal Justice (Forensic Sampling and Evidence) Bill 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 provide an updated statutory framework for the taking and use of forensic samples and will repeal the Criminal Justice (Forensic Evidence) Act 1990. It will draw on the recommendations of the Report of the Law Reform Commission concerning the establishment of a DNA Database.

Drafting of the Bill is progressing well 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.