§ Mrs. Ann WintertonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what is her Department's policy in respect of the provision of infertility services to lesbian couples and364W unmarried women; what specific guidance is issued by her Department on the interpretation of the requirement to give due consideration to the need of a child for a father; whether adherence to that guidance is a prerequisite for licensing by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority; and if she will make a statement.
§ Mr. SackvilleIn accordance with the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990, a woman shall not be provided with assisted conception treatment unless prior account has been taken of the welfare of any child born as a result of treatment including the need of that child for a father. Guidance on the application of this requirement is set out in a code of practice published by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority—the body that licenses assisted conception treatment. Copies of the code are available in the Library. It is a condition of the HFEA licence that licensed centres abide by the code of practice.
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health has already said that she would not expect the NHS to provide fertility treatment unless there were a mother and father and that she would expect them to be married. Appropriate guidance will be issued to the NHS in due course.