Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Thornton on 9 November (WA 112), how a researcher could take reasonable steps to contact the person who originally provided cells to a tissue bank if there is no requirement on the part of any tissue bank to use contact information at their disposal for that purpose.
Answer
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that its Research Licence Committee considers on a case-by-case basis each application for a research licence for a project proposing to use human cells in the creation of embryos without explicit consent. In all cases, the committee would expect the applicant to demonstrate that it had taken all reasonable steps to contact the cell provider.