Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help ensure an adequate levels of qualified forensic scientists are available to police forces.

Investment in forensics to policing is determined by individual forces and Police and Crime Commissioners. The Home Office has also invested £4.33m in 2022/23 to the police-led Forensic Capability Network (FCN).

As part of this investment the FCN is developing a Workforce Strategic Plan which includes people & skills, recruitment & retention and wellbeing. It includes a new Digital Forensics curriculum and Digital Forensic apprenticeships, that has been piloted by some forces.