§ Mrs Curtis-ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what the Government's policy is on the use of animals to provide organs for humans. [122334]
§ Ms Rosie WintertonThe United Kingdom Xenotransplantation Interim Regulatory Authority (UKXIRA) was established in 1997 to advise the Government on the acceptability of specific applications to undertake Xenotransplantation procedures (the transplantation of live cells, tissues and organs from a non-human source into a human), it also acts as a focal point for Xenotransplantation issues. Organisations undertaking research into Xenotransplantation in the UK are required to comply with all relevant legislation. Noclinical trials involving humans have yet been 355W approved in the UK and currently no relevant organ transplant research is licensed in the UK under the Animals (Science Procedures) Act 1986.