§ Mr. AshleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he intends to introduce a legally binding code of medical research ethics as proposed by a committee of Ministers in the Council of Europe.
§ Mr. FreemanNo. The recommendation accepted by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on 6 February 1990 was that member states should either adopt legislation or take any other measures to ensure the implementation of a series of principles concerning medical research on human beings. The Department of Health will shortly be issuing updated and expanded guidance on the supervision of research on human beings. This guidance may be further revised in the light of experience.