Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress the Government has made on establishing a National Crime Laboratory.

We are working with academia and policing to run a pilot for the National Crime & Justice Laboratory, and develop the roadmap for future years, which will bring together data held by the police and other government departments. This will aid Policing and the Home Office in answering critical questions to influence and inform better policy and help us improve Criminal Justice outcomes.

The National Crime and Justice Lab received £1.15m in 2022/23 and £2m in 2023/24.