Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Thornton on 8 February (WA 81), whether the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority has lost any records following a request from researchers.
Answer
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that it considers applications for the creation of human admixed embryos in line with the requirements of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 (as amended). As outlined in my Written Answer of 9 November 2009 (Official Report, col. WA 110-11), the process used to determine whether to grant a research licence is set out in a decision tree used by the HFEA's research licence committee. This can be found on the HFEA's website at www.hfea.gov.uk/1128.html. The HFEA has received numerous requests from researchers since its establishment in 1991, including 703 requests under the Freedom of Information Act since 2005 alone. The authority has advised that the information sought by the noble Lord on records lost following requests by researchers could only be supplied at disproportionate cost.