Question
asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they have taken steps to ensure that the conduct formerly associated with Woo-Suk Hwang in South Korea remains unique to that country; and how they ensure that all research licensed by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority conforms to World Medical Association standards as set out in the Declaration of Helsinki.
Answer
Schedule 2 of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 sets out the activities for which licences may be granted. As specified in paragraph 3 of that schedule, licences for the purposes of a project of research, involving human embryos, cannot authorise any activity unless it appears to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) to be necessary or desirable for one or more of the purposes specified. Further, the law makes it clear that no licence shall be granted unless the HFEA is satisfied that any proposed use of embryos is necessary for the purposes of the particular research project. New guidance on the use of human eggs in research will be added to the HFEA's code of practice in November 2007. This guidance takes account of the wording of the Helsinki Declaration.