HL Deb 14 January 2002 vol 630 c142WA
Lord Alton of Liverpool

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they agree with the statement by Lord Winston in The Times on 15 December that the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority's recent ruling authorising the use of in vitro fertilisation with genetic screening to create a child who will be a suitable bone-marrow match for his or her sibling has "given permission for the first British designer baby". [HL2096]

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath

The decision to allow, in principle, the licensing of treatment whereby an embryo is tested for its tissue compatibility with an existing sibling is a matter for the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA). The HFEA has given the matter very careful consideration. Each application will be considered on a case-by-case basis. The Government are satisfied that as a result the technique will only be used in very rare circumstances and then only subject to very strict controls.