(This note is not part of the Regulations)
These Regulations transpose Council Framework Decision 2009/905/JHA of the 30th November 2009 on accreditation of forensic service providers carrying out laboratory activities (OJ L 322, 9.12.2009, p 14-16).
Regulation 3 limits the scope of the laboratory activities to which the Regulations apply to those which result in the production of DNA-profiles or dactyloscopic (fingerprint) data. It also provides that these Regulations do not affect the existing legal framework regarding the admissibility and assessment of evidence in legal proceedings.
Regulation 4 requires forensic service providers conducting laboratory activities to be accredited to the accreditation standard EN ISO/IEC 17025 on general requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories. Copies of the EN ISO/IEC 17025 standard can be obtained from the British Standards Institute, BSI Customer Services, 389 Chiswick High Road, London W4 4AL, UK (www.bsigroup.com).
Regulation 5 requires specified law enforcement authorities (as defined in the Schedule to these Regulations) to recognise the results of accredited forensic service providers in other member States as being equally reliable as the result of a laboratory activity provided by a UK accredited forensic service provider.
A full impact assessment has not been produced for this instrument as no, or no significant, impact on the private, voluntary or public sectors is foreseen.