Question
To ask the CC for an update on PSNI work with Department of Infrastructure towards updating the legislation to allow blood samples to be taken by a registered healthcare professional and not only by medical professionals.
Answer
The current Road Traffic legislation requires a medical professional that is a doctor, to take a blood sample, in certain instances. Those instances include when a person is at a hospital and when an approved drugs testing device has not been used previously to confirm the presence of a drug.
Building on learning in England, Wales and Scotland colleagues in Roads Policing are now engaged with the Department for Infrastructure to seek approval for drugs roadside testing devices to be used in Northern Ireland. Once approval is achieved this would reduce the requirement for medical professionals and increase the ability for registered healthcare professionals to take blood samples in appropriate cases. This seeks to maximise existing scope within our legislation.
More broadly a change in Road Traffic legislation to permit registered healthcare professionals to take blood samples in all instances is a key objective for the Service and we remain engaged with the Department for Justice to achieve that.
Linda Dillon - Sinn Féin