§ Mr. Marlowasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he has yet reached a decision on the need for an enquiry into the issues raised by the development of techniques of in vitro fertilisation.
§ Mr. FowlerThe Government have given careful consideration to the need for a broadly based inquiry into the issues raised by the development of techniques of in vitro fertilisation in addition to the examinations already under way by medical bodies and by the Council for Science and Society. We have decided that there are grounds for a wider examination of the social, ethical and legal aspects of these developments and intend to establish an inquiry with the following terms of reference
to consider recent and potential developments in medicine and science related to human fertilisation and embryology; to consider what policies and safeguards should be applied, including consideration of the social, ethical and legal implications of these developments and to make recommendations.It will take the form of a departmental inquiry and will be chaired by Mrs. Mary Warnock, senior research fellow, St. Hugh's College, Oxford. The Department of Health and Social Security will have the lead responsibility and the Scottish and Welsh and Northern Ireland Offices, the Department of Education and Science and the Lord Chancellor's Department will be co-sponsors.
Membership will be broad based and includes, as well as doctors and lawyers, other relevant professionals and those with experience in family policy and the child care fields; other "lay" and religious viewpoints will also be represented.
In addition to the chairman there will be 15 members
- Q. S. Anisuddin, MA.
- T. S. G. Baker, QC.
- Dame Josephine Barnes, DBE, FRCP, FRCS, FRCOG.
- Mrs. M. Caroline.
- D. Davies, MA, PhD.
- Professor Anthony Dyson, BD, MA, D.Phil.
- Mrs. L. N. Edwards, OBE, TD, DL, JP, SRN, SCM.
- W. Greengross, MB, BS, D. Obst, RCOG.
- Professor W.G. Irwin, MD, MB, BChir, BAO, FRCGP, D. Obst, RCOG.
- A. McLaren, MA, D. Phil, FRS.
- Professor M. C. MacNaughton, MD, FRCP, FRCOG.
- D. J. McNeil, LLB, WS.
- Professor J. Marshall, MD, FRCP, DPM.
- Professor K. Rawnsley, MB, Bch, FRCP, FRPsych.
- Mrs. J. Walker, JP.
§ Mr. Fosterasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will quantify the amount of study permitted to school leavers leaving school at the end of May and commencing courses in schools or colleges in September under the 21-hour rule whilst retaining full entitlement to supplementary benefit.
§ Mr. Newton[pursuant to his reply, 15 July 1982, c. 457]: Under the terms of the Supplementary Benefit (Miscellaneous Amendment) Regulations 1982, which were laid before the House on 8 July, in order to take advantage of the 21-hour rule school leavers will have to have spent a period of three months immediately before commencing their course available for employment and in receipt of unemployment or supplementary benefit. The effect of this is that summer school leavers, who become entitled to supplementary benefit in the following September, will not be able to take advantage of the 21-hour rule before December.
330WNevertheless, as I explained to my hon. Friend the Member for Ripon (Dr. Hampson) in my reply to him on 10 May [Vol. 23, c. 198–99]—it is, and will remain, open to any unemployed person under the general rules governing unemployed people's entitlement to benefit to undertake a certain amount of study during the three-month qualifying period prior to commencing a course under the terms of the 21-hour rule, or indeed at any time, provided he is able to demonstrate to the independent adjudicating authorities that this does not amount to full-time education and that he remains available for work. Study commenced under the terms of the 21-hour rule must, however, constitute a separate course from any study undertaken during the qualifying period.
The following considerations apply to study undertaken during the qualifying period. Although child benefit rather than supplementary benefit is normally payable if a young person under the age of 19 is considered to be receiving full-time education, I understand that a course of up to 15 hours a week inclusive of private study would be unlikely to exclude a claimant from supplementary benefit on those grounds. So far as determining availability for work is concerned, I understand that the amount of time actually spent on the course is not of primary importance; more important is whether it is considered that the claimant would be prepared to give up the course at once if a job were offered. Notes giving general guidance on how someone going on a course may be affected by the availability condition can be obtained from unemployment benefit officers.
I understand that my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Education and Science, Scotland and Wales will be issuing advice to local education authorities about the effect of the new regulation, and that this will cover the preceding points.