To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Darzi of Denham on 9 March (WA 204–5) and 3 June (WA 87–8), how a “live human embryo” is defined in the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 (as amended); whether that should be interpreted as an embryo that is neither dead nor a member of another species; and, if not, how it has been interpreted by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority. [HL4182]

The department takes the view that the term “live human embryo”, as it will appear in Clause 1(1)(a) of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 (1990 Act) from 1 October 2009, when the amendments made by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008 come into effect, would not include dead human embryos or embryos of another species.

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority advises that it has nothing to add to the definition set out in Clause 1(1)(a) of the 1990 Act, as amended.

To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answers by Lord Darzi of Denham on 22 July 2008 (WA 243–45) and 3 June 2009 (WA 88), why the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) does not hold data on the number of stem cell lines from HFEA licensed research projects deposited in the United Kingdom Stem Cell Bank, given that the HFEA's Head of Research Regulation indicated in a letter dated 5 September 2008 that the “inspection of research centres will include checks to ensure that centres are depositing a sample of all stem cell lines derived in the UK Stem Cell Bank” and that the HFEA was previously aware that 35 stem cell lines had been derived under HFEA licences. [HL4284]

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority advises that it does not hold data on the number of stem cell lines derived from licensed research projects as it has no statutory obligation to do so.