Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether it is a requirement for firms supplying forensic services in support of family court cases to be accredited to ISO/IEC 17025 standards.

When forensic expert evidence is commissioned by a party or their legal adviser for the purposes of a family court case, there is no requirement currently for such tests to meet any specific scientific testing standard. The court will consider the veracity of that evidence as for any other expert evidence.

In a family court case where the court directs that a DNA test be undertaken to establish paternity, that test must be carried out by a laboratory accredited by the Ministry of Justice for that specific purpose. Those laboratories must hold current ISO 17025 accreditation.