Lynne Featherstone MP, Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesperson, has discovered information that shows how individuals’ samples on the DNA database have been shared with other foreign countries with no real safeguards in place. Under new EU proposals, all member states will be able to access the British DNA database and the information on it.

Commenting Ms Featherstone said:

“This is a bad omen for the upcoming ID register, now the Government has made it clear that our personal data can be shared with foreign countries.

“There are no real safeguards in place to control this huge database which leaves it open for misuse – and now we find out it’s not only being misused in our country but also internationally.

“What confidence can we have in the Government’s reassurance of the DNA database having proper safeguards when, until last year, they didn’t even collate requests properly?”

Notes:

The figures were revealed in a Parliamentary Question asked by Lynne Featherstone MP. Ms Featherstone is calling for an independent advisory body to oversee the usage of the DNA database.The revelation comes just two weeks after the Government admitted for the first time that it will share data from the ID cards register with overseas authorities.

National DNA Database

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many requests for information on the national DNA database his Department has received from other countries in each year since its inception. [73347]

Joan Ryan [holding answer 24 May 2006]: From the inception of the National DNA database in 1995 until comparatively recently, requests for international profiles were rare and therefore no data was collated by the NDNAD until 2004. Since 2004 here have been 519 such requests.

Joan Ryan [23 May 2006]: Section 18 of the Identity Cards Act allows information to be provided to overseas authorities, for example law enforcement agencies, for the purposes of criminal proceedings and investigations, as provided for in section 17 of the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001. This is subject to safeguards provided in section 21 of the Identity Cards Act and section 18 of the 2001 Act. Other than that, there is no provision, or power to make provision, in the Identity Cards Act for information from the NIR to be provided, without consent, overseas.