PlayThe Government has ordered an inquiry into why a Dutch request for DNA checks on 4,000 criminals was not dealt with for a year.
Challenged by Tory leader David Cameron over the "catastrophic failure," Prime Minister Gordon Brown confirmed that 11 of those involved had gone on to commit offences in the UK, including assault and non-payment of fines.
At Commons question time, Mr Cameron said it showed the Government's handling of data on criminals was "incompetent".
Mr Cameron - after initially wishing Mr Brown a happy 57th birthday - seized on the report to attack the Government's record on data.
"In January last year the Government was sent details of 4,000 dangerous foreign criminals," he said.
"For an entire year it did absolutely nothing with that information.
"Can you explain how such a catastrophic failure to protect the public took place?"
Mr Brown told him: "The Attorney General has asked the CPS to conduct an inquiry into this very matter.
"This was a request by the Dutch authorities for us to look through our DNA records.
"There were 4,000 names put to us by the Dutch - 11 cases have been discovered as a result of the investigation.
"The inquiry will cover all details of what happened. But it was only possible for the Dutch to ask us to look at our DNA records because we are keeping those records. The Conservatives opposed that legislation."
The profiles were sent to London and other European capitals in January 2007 with a request to check if any of the suspects had moved to their countries.
The CPS said: "We can confirm that DNA profiles of around 2,000 unknown individuals were sent by a foreign jurisdiction to the CPS to facilitate a check against the national DNA database.
"These are profiles relating to unsolved crimes in that country.
"As this information necessarily relates to ongoing police investigations, it would be inappropriate to provide any more detail at this stage."
© Independent Television News Limited 2008. All rights reserved.
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