§ Mr. AmessTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if tissue banks will be permitted to include foetal tissues and immature gametes. [146115]
§ Yvette CooperWith the explicit consent of the donor to its subsequent use, it is permissible to take and store any human tissue.
Banks storing foetal tissues and immature gametes intended for therapeutic use are included in the scope of the Code of Practice for Banks Providing Tissues of Human Origin for Therapeutic Purposes which has been developed by the Department of Health in consultation with the Royal Colleges and relevant professional bodies.
National Health Service hospitals and independent sector places, approved by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State, for the termination of pregnancy, may supply foetal tissue for research purposes. Premises supplying foetal tissue for research purposes are expected to comply with the "Polkinghorne Code of Practice on the Use of Fetuses and Fetal Material in Research and Treatment".