HC Deb 09 February 2001 vol 362 cc710-2W
Mrs. Ann Winterton

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if his support for the establishment of a House of Lords Select Committee on Embryonic Stem Cell Research is conditional on its membership being balanced and representative of different views on the subject. [148275]

Yvette Cooper

Membership of House of Lords Select Committees is a matter for the Lords' Committee of Selection. We look forward to working with the Committee and will, as we have said, consider its conclusions carefully.

Mrs. Ann Winterton

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if the commitment of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Lord Hunt, in the House of Lords on 22 January 2001, House of Lords,Official Report, column 121, to review regulations in the light of the report of a House of Lords Select Committee on Embryonic Stem Cell Research includes annulling those regulations if the Committee concludes that such research is not necessary; and if he will make a statement. [148273]

Yvette Cooper

We have made it clear that we will consider very carefully the conclusions of the House of Lords Select Committee and will review the regulations in the light of those conclusions. However, the Committee has not yet begun its deliberations and it is not possible to speculate on whether action may be appropriate when its conclusions are known.

Mrs. Ann Winterton

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what criteria the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority intends to adopt for assessing, in connection with project licence applications it receives, whether research upon embryonic stem cells offers potential for progress which could not be made using adult stem cells. [148272]

Yvette Cooper

Research involving the use of human embryos can be carried out only if it meets the strict conditions of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 and a licence has been issued by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA).

Among other things, the 1990 Act requires the HFEA to be satisfied that any proposed use of embryos is necessary for the purposes of the research. If the proposed use of embryos is not considered necessary for any reason, a licence will not be granted.

The HFEA may grant licenses for research projects only for the purposes set out in the 1990 Act and in the Human Fertilisation and Embryology (Research Purposes) Regulations.

For each research project the HFEA requires a detailed application describing:

  • the objectives of the project;
  • the scientific background;
  • the methodology and experimental design;
  • the estimated usage of oocytes and embryos; and
  • the source of this material.

The application must also include:

  • the CVs of all staff participating directly in the research project;
  • information for patients relating to the proposed project;
  • relevant clinical and laboratory protocols;
  • consent forms regarding use of gametes and embryos for this project; and,
  • any relevant publications.

The HFEA requires research applications to have Research Ethics Committee approval. The project must explain its objectives, protocols and why the research is necessary. Before considering a research application the HFEA obtains at least two peer review reports on the project's merits covering:

  • whether the research fulfils the categories for which embryo research is permitted
  • the importance of the research in the field
  • whether research has been done before
  • whether the use of human embryos is justified
  • suitability of the methods
  • length of the study
  • applicant's qualifications.

An HFEA Licence Committee is arranged to consider each application and the peer review reports. It will also consider the information given to donors.

Research is monitored through:

  • annual licence renewal, subject to acceptable progress reports;
  • nnual progress reports (in cases where two or three-year licences are granted);
  • final reports.