Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answers by Baroness Thornton on 16 December 2009 (WA 236) and 5 January (WA 23–4), why the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) chief executive stated in his letter on 9 November 2009 that at least 681 human eggs were used under research licence R0122 to investigate laser biopsied blastocysts if the HFEA does not hold any inspection reports for research licence R0122 describing polar body biopsy of eggs and if no use of eggs was recorded in the initial application for that licence and any subsequent renewal applications or in the cited progress report.
Answer
A research licence under paragraph 3(1) of Schedule 2 of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 (as amended) authorises the creation of embryos in vitro and keeping or using embryos for the purposes of a project of research, whose purpose must be consistent with paragraph 3A of that schedule. Parliament has decided in view of the special importance attached to embryos that no research may be conducted on them without a licence, but that is not the case for research involving only eggs or sperm. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that it receives information about the use of eggs incidentally to the research licensing process, but the information it holds on the use of eggs is necessarily limited, compared to the information it holds on the use of embryos. Directions 0002 issued by the HFEA (dated 1 July 2009) require licence holders to maintain records on total numbers of embryos created, used or disposed of in undertaking of the licensed research. Such data held by the HFEA are made available in inspection reports and research licence committee minutes published on the HFEA website. Where inspection reports and research licence committee minutes are not available on the HFEA website these can be requested from the HFEA.