Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answers by Lord Darzi of Denham on 22 January 2008 (WA 28) and 1 April 2009 (WA 235), and further to the Written Answer by Baroness Thornton on 20 April 2009 (WA329), whether the culture of outgrowing embryos beyond 14 days is not in itself considered to be an activity requiring a licence, such that a breach of the 14-day limit would not be revealed in inspection reports.
Answer
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised me that two of the 15 most recent inspection reports published on its website, that discuss the time period for culturing embryos, provide details specific to embryos which have outgrown their structure. These reports are for Guy’s Hospital, centre 0102, (report dated 2 April 2008) and Oxford Fertility Centre, centre 0035, (report date 16 September 2008). The reports can be found on the website at www.hfea.gov.uk/180.html. As I have already stated in my Answers of 10 February 2009 (col. WA 176) and 9 March 2009 (col. WA 205), the embryonic masses that form when embryos outgrow their structure are not considered by HFEA to be embryos because they do not have the 3D organisation of an embryo, do not have a relationship between extra embryonic and embryonic tissue essential for normal development and do not develop a primitive streak. As such, culturing this tissue is not a licensable activity. However, the HFEA monitors the culture of this tissue as part of its research inspection process.