§ Lord Winstonasked Her Majesty's Government:
On what basis the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority estimates that the cost of processing each research science application is £6,000. [HL1058]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Warner)The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) advises that the total cost of regulating licensed research projects is £70,000 per year. There is an average of 12 research licences in operation during a year, giving an average regulation cost per licence of approximately £6,000. This figure covers the costs of processing research licence applications, inspections, research licence committees, 50 per cent of the total 123WA cost of the research regulation team and the associated overheads costs of premises, information technology and administrative support.
Following a public consultation exercise, the HFEA announced an increase in the research licence fee from 1 February 2005. The fee has increased from £200 to £500 for small projects and £750 for larger, more complex projects. The additional cost of regulating research will be met from the Department of Health's grant in aid.