§ Lord Kennetasked Her Majesty's Government:
What are the present rules governing the use of experimental medical and surgical procedures on patients; whether in vitro fertilisation and embryo transfer procedures can properly be regarded as other than "experimental", given that some five clinics offering these procedures have had a less than 6 per cent. success rate (measured in terms of a "take-home baby") over the last three years, and one "well-established centre" had a less than 2 per cent success rate in 1988; and whether it is currently possible for a would-be patient, or her doctor, to discover from the Interim Licensing Authority what is the success rate of a particular clinic they have licensed before she decides to undergo treatment.
§ Baroness HooperMedical and surgical research procedures are subject to prior approval by local ethical committees and require the informed consent of the patient. The medical profession does not consider that in vitro fertilisation (IVF) should be regarded now as an experimental procedure. The first baby born as a result of IVF was in 1978 and there were 956 live births in 1988 as a result of IVF treatment. The average live birth rate for all centres in 1988 was 9.1 per cent. Information on success rates is given to the Interim Licensing Authority in confidence and therefore the authority only reveals aggregated data.