Question
asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 26 June (WA 129-30), what assessment they have made of the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee's report on Government proposals for the regulation of hybrid and chimera embryos (HC 272), in particular, whether there should be a total prohibition of any form of reproductive cloning; and what assessment they have made of whether the lack of such prohibition would permit unethical experimentation.
Answer
The Government response to the report of the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee, Government proposals for the regulation of hybrid and chimera embryos, was published in June 2007 (CM7139). It is available in the Library. The Government are committed to a ban on reproductive cloning and this position is maintained in the Human Tissue and Embryos (Draft) Bill which prohibits placing in a woman anything but permitted sperm, eggs or embryos.