§ Sir Bernard Braineasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science from what sources embryos used for research under the guidelines laid down by the Medical Research Council in 1982 are obtained; and whether there is any export of spare embryos to laboratories overseas.
§ Mr. BrookeEmbryos used in research may be obtained as a result of clinical in vitro fertilisation programmes or by using donated eggs and semen. I understand from the Medical Research Council that, in accordance with its guidelines, the embryos used for research supported through their grant-in-aid from the science budget are obtained with the informed consent of donors after the research concerned has been approved both by the local ethical committee and by the normal scientific peer review process. I am not aware of any export of spare embryos overseas.