§ Mr. AltonTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if parental consent is required before supplying foetal material to medical schools; and if he will make a statement;
(2) if he will place in the Library the regulations governing the supply of foetal material to medical schools for use in experiments; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. NewtonThe use of foetuses and foetal material in research is covered by the code of practice recommended by the Peel report on the use of foetuses and foetal material for research, 1972, a copy of which is in the Library. This code of practice which has been commended to all health authorities recommends, inter alia, that research should only be carried out with the direct sanction of the local ethical committee and that where the Human Tissue act does not apply, a pre-condition of the research should be that there is no objection on the part of the parent. There are no additional specific regulations governing the supply of foetal material to medical schools.