Question
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 18 June (WA 9), bearing in mind that the draft Human Tissue and Embryos Bill employs a different definition of the nature of pronuclei from that used by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority appeal committee, how the definitions used in the draft Bill correspond to the criteria used by the appeal committee, which suggested that the prohibition contained in Section 3(3)(d) of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 would not have extended to research involving pronuclei; and
Answer
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) is an independent statutory body with the responsibility of licensing human embryo research under the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990. The decision to licence research project R0153 was taken by the HFEA appeals committee. A summary of how this specific decision was made is available on their website at www.hfea.gov.uk. The definitions in the draft Human Tissue and Embryos Bill apply in the context of that Bill only and are therefore not applicable to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 and the decision taken by the HFEA appeals committee when it was considering the licence application R0153. If the draft Human Tissue and Embryos Bill were enacted as it is, provisions in the Bill would allow for the research project R0153 to be licensed by the regulatory authority.