To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment his Department has made of the implications for medical practice of pig-to-primate organ transplant experiments. (269495)

The Government believe that it is right to explore the potential of xenotransplantation in a cautious stepwise fashion. It could be a potential solution to the ongoing shortage of human organs and tissues for transplantation, but also raises concerns for the safety of the individual and the wider public for the efficacy of the procedures and for the welfare of the animals involved. No xenotransplant procedure involving humans will be allowed to take place unless there is sufficient evidence to justify the particular procedure proposed.