Ministry of Justice

Court-directed paternity testing: accredited list update

30 July 2008

Father and son

An update to the list of companies accredited to carry out court-directed paternity tests.

There has been an update to the list of accredited bodies approved by the Ministry of Justice to carry out court-directed tests for parentage. Eurofins Medigenomix GmbH has now been added to the list

Under section 20 of the Family Law Reform Act 1969, in civil proceedings, courts have a statutory power to direct a scientific test to ascertain the parentage of a child (but section 20 directions are not given in every case where parentage is an issue). If the court makes such a 'section 20 direction', they must choose a tester from a list of accredited bodies that we maintain.

Details of how to apply for accreditation, the application form and further background information on court-directed paternity testing are on the HMCS website.

List of bodies that may carry out court-directed parentage tests under section 20 of the Family Law Reform Act 1969

The Ministry of Justice is responsible for accrediting bodies which may carry out scientific tests for parentage in accordance with a direction made by a court pursuant to section 20 of the Family Law Reform Act 1969. A list of bodies currently accredited by the Ministry of Justice appears below:

Anglia DNA Services Ltd 
Norwich Research Park
Colney Lane, Norwich
NR4 7UH
Tel: 08454 565365
Fax: 01603 450945
email

Barts and The London Queen Mary University of London
Haematology ICMS
Barts and The London
4 Newark Street
London
E1 2AT
Tel: 020 7882 2274
Fax: 020 7882 2183
email 

Complement Genomics Ltd. (trading as dadcheck ®)
Unit 128i Bioscience Centre
Business and Innovation Centre
Sunderland
SR5 2TA 
Tel: 0191 516 6500/6632
Fax: 0191 516 6005
email

Crucial Genetics
F1 House
Road 4
Winsford Industrial Estate
Winsford
Cheshire
CW7 3QN
Tel: 0870 88 88 0 88
Fax: 0870 88 88 089
email

DNA Diagnostics Ltd
Bioscience Building
Crown Street
Liverpool
L69 7ZB
Tel: 0845 230 1102
Fax: 0845 230 1103
email

Eurofins Medigenomix GmbH
Fraunhoferstr 22
D82152
Planegg/Martinsried
Germany 
Tel: + 49 89 89 98 92 50 
Fax: + 49 89 89 98 92 90 
email

LGC Diagnostics Department 
LGC Building
Queens Road
Teddington
Middlesex
TW11 ONJ
Tel: 020 8943 8400
Fax: 020 8943 8401
email

Orchid Cellmark Ltd
Blacklands Way
Abingdon Business Park
Abingdon
Oxon
OX14 1YX
Tel: 01235 528609
Fax: 01235 528141
email

The Forensic Science Service Ltd
Sales and Operational Planning Office
Trident Court
2920 Solihull Parkway
Birmingham Business Park
Birmingham
B37 7YN
Tel: 0845 120 7272
Fax: 0121 770 9289
email

Contact us:

Sharon Rowand
Family Relationships Branch 2
Family Law and Justice Division
4th Floor, Selborne House
54-60 Victoria Street
London
SW1E 6QW

email or telephone 020 7210 2653