§ Lord Alton of Liverpoolasked Her Majesty's Government:
Why they did not inform the House of Lords on 22 January that lawyers acting on behalf of the Secretary of State for Health intended to tell the High Court on 26 January that they would need five months to prepare scientific evidence in defence of the regulations on human embryos arising out of the Donaldson Committee Report. [HL624]
61WA
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Hunt of Kings Heath)An application for permission for the Pro-Life Alliance to bring a judicial review was considered in the High Court on Friday 26 January. The application was adjourned to allow time for both parties to prepare their cases before the resumed application for permission and the substantive arguments were heard together on or after 15 June this year.
The court order set out a timetable for this process, including time for statements to be made by both sides about the scientific principles on which each side would rely. Lawyers for the Secretary of State for Health did not ask for five months to prepare a statement on the scientific principles but were granted six weeks to do so by the court.