§ Baroness Coxasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether direct payment to couples for consenting to their IVF embryos being used for fertility treatment is prohibited:
- (a) by law; and
- (b) by regulations of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority; and [HL1126]
Whether direct payment to couples for consenting to their IVF embryos being used for research is prohibited:
- (a) by law; and
- (b) by regulations of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority; and [HL1127]
Whether discount IVF treatment in return for gametes or embryos is permissible; and, if so, whether this is occurring; and [HL1128]
Whether discount IVF treatment in return for consent to the use of gametes or embryos is permissible; and, if so, whether this is occurring. [HL1129]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Hunt of Kings Heath)Section 12(e) of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 provides that no money or other benefit shall be given or received in respect of any supply of gametes or embryos unless authorised by directions from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority. Directions permit people providing gametes for donation for treatment to be paid no more than £15 for each donation, plus reasonable expenses. Guidance on what can be considered reasonable expenses is contained in Annex G to the authority's code of practice.
170WAIn some licensed centres a woman may be offered treatment involving in vitro fertilisation at reduced cost in return for sharing the eggs she produces with another woman receiving in vitro fertilisation. This arrangement can be advantageous to both women involved. It may allow one to receive treatment that she could not otherwise afford, while providing eggs for the other. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority considered egg sharing in 1998 and has kept it under review since then, covering the provision of consent and the preparation of formal agreements between the parties involved in its code of practice. The authority is aware, however, that some people find this a matter of concern and the issue is to be discussed by the authority's ethics committee. The conclusions of the committee, and of the authority as a whole, will be communicated to the House and placed in the Library.