I intend to seek Government approval of the text of the Criminal Justice (Forensic Evidence and DNA Database System) Bill next week with a view to its publication shortly thereafter. The Bill will provide for the establishment of a DNA database to assist the Garda Síochána in the investigation of crime and finding and identifying missing and unknown persons.
Pending enactment, the Forensic Science Laboratory of my Department which will have responsibility for establishing and managing the database has already undertaken a substantial amount of preparatory work to ensure that there is no undue delay in the database becoming operational.