asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 8 June (WA 223), whether they will explain how research can be both embryonic and adult and at the same time foetal and adult. [HL4312]

The Medical Research Council (MRC) is the main agency through which the UK Government support medical and clinical research.

Researchers do not always focus on one type of stem cell and may involve several other types. There are valid reasons; for example:

the MRC-funded researchers at the University of Edinburgh are performing comparative evaluation of stem cells embryonic, foetal and adult origin, to define which stages of cell developments are best suited for particular therapeutic applications; and

the University College London (UCL) researchers are studying both embryonic and adult stem cells to understand how stem cells give rise to specialised cells during normal embryonic development and in adults. This is essential for development of potential stem cells for treating neurodegenerative and other diseases.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 18 June (WA 9–10), why they have permitted the genetic modification of embryos to study implantation when they have also stated that there is no intention to implant such an embryo. [HL4417]

The draft Human Tissue and Embryos Bill contains provisions to allow researchers to apply for a licence to alter the genetic structure of a human embryo for any of the research purposes specified in Schedule 2 to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990. As with any research project licensed by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority at present, the regulatory authority must consider whether the research is necessary or desirable for that purpose.

For research purposes only, the Government intend to remove the restriction on altering the genetic structure of a cell while it forms part of an embryo. This could aid understanding of genetic pathways involved in implantation and the mutations resulting in failure of implantation. For example, modifying a specific gene thought to affect the ability of an embryo to implant will allow scientists to learn about its function by looking at the effects on other genes in the early embryo. This approach could identify potential targets for treatment without the need to place the modified embryo in a woman.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 19 June (WA 29), how they maintain confidence in the regulation of nuclear transfer if no data are held by the Department of Health, and if data on the number of embryos created using cell nuclear replacement (cloning) as part of a research project are not routinely collected by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority. [HL4457]

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 sets out the legal parameters and regulatory framework applicable to research using human embryos. Schedule 2 to the Act sets out the activities for which licences may be granted. Licences cannot authorise any activity unless it appears to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority to be necessary or desirable for one or more of the purposes specified. The law also makes it clear that no licence shall be granted unless the authority is satisfied that any proposed use of embryos is necessary for the purposes of the particular research project.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 18 June (WA 9), how removal of any nuclei or pronuclei from an embryo would not have significantly altered the genetic structure of that embryo due to the removal of all nuclear genes, bearing in mind that altering the structure was considered by the appeal committee for the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority research licence R0153 to involve alteration to the genes or the genome and the resulting heritable characteristics; and [HL4416]

Further to the Written Answer by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 18 June (WA 9), bearing in mind that the draft Human Tissue and Embryos Bill employs a different definition of the nature of pronuclei from that used by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority appeal committee, how the definitions used in the draft Bill correspond to the criteria used by the appeal committee, which suggested that the prohibition contained in Section 3(3)(d) of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 would not have extended to research involving pronuclei; and [HL4419]

Further to the Written Answer by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 18 June (WA 9), bearing in mind that no Members of Parliament were involved in the appeal decision regarding the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) research licence R0153, how it was established that the HFEA appeal committee's interpretation of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 reflected the intentions of Parliament. [HL4420]

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) is an independent statutory body with the responsibility of licensing human embryo research under the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990. The decision to licence research project R0153 was taken by the HFEA appeals committee. A summary of how this specific decision was made is available on their website at www.hfea.gov.uk.

The definitions in the draft Human Tissue and Embryos Bill apply in the context of that Bill only and are therefore not applicable to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 and the decision taken by the HFEA appeals committee when it was considering the licence application R0153. If the draft Human Tissue and Embryos Bill were enacted as it is, provisions in the Bill would allow for the research project R0153 to be licensed by the regulatory authority.