To ask Her Majesty's Government how the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) responded publicly to media coverage of Dr P M Zavos's work, as televised on 22 April and reported in the press, and how their response compared to the comments of the former HFEA chair in January 2004. [HL3251]

To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Darzi of Denham on 29 September 2008 (WA 352) regarding the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) seeking to contact Dr K Illmensee, Dr M Levanduski and Dr P M Zavos to discover the pre-implantation development of human-animal cytoplasmic hybrid embryos, whether the HFEA would grant a licence to Dr Zavos to create such entities under the terms of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990. [HL3252]

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised me that it has made no public response, on this occasion, to the media coverage of Dr Zavos's work.

The HFEA considers each licence application on its merits. It would be inappropriate for the HFEA to speculate about how it would respond to hypothetical applications.