§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Warner)I announced at the Grand Committee on the Human Tissue Bill on 15 September (col. GC432) that I intended to seek independent advice on the operation of the research ethics committee system, including the Central Office for National Health Service Research Ethics Committees.
I have asked Michael O'Higgins, a managing partner of PA Consulting Group Ltd, to chair a small ad hoc group of scientists and lay members. It will undertake a review of the systems that support NHS research ethics committees in England, and make recommendations for further steps to improve their operation, building on changes already under way.
The group will first meet in November and will report to health Ministers by the end of March 2005. Details of the group's membership and terms of reference can be found on the department's website www.dh.gov.uk.