HL Deb 25 February 2003 vol 645 c25WA
Baroness Masham of Ilton

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What treatments for children or adults with disabling conditions have been developed by use of human in vitro embryos since in vitro fertilisation became established in the early 1980s. [HL1572]

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath

The use of human embryos in research has been regulated by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) since its inception in 1991. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 permits a research licence to be granted for specified purposes, one of which is increasing knowledge about the causes of congenital disease. The HFEA has licensed 19 projects for this purpose but none specifically concerned disabling conditions.