To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 26 June 2007 (WA 129-30), what consideration the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has given to findings reported in the journal Nature on 17 September 2009 (volume 461, issue 7262, pages 367-372) with regard to the renewal of research licence R0153; and, in particular, how the HFEA has evaluated comments by Peter Aldhous in New Scientist on 26 August 2009 indicating that the approach described in the paper is superior to a technique pursued at Newcastle University. [HL5764]

We understand that any research licence application or renewal considered by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) is assessed in light of the scientific evidence available at the time. When the licence is originally granted, and upon renewal, the application is peer reviewed. The HFEA expects such peer review to consider relevant research.

To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answers by Lord Triesman on 29 October 2007 (WA 144) and by Lord Darzi of Denham on 10 January 2008 (WA 216) and 18 June 2009 (WA 226), at what point the Newcastle Primary Care Trust switched to offering three cycles of in vitro fertilisation to eligible patients instead of one treatment cycle; and what is known about the impact of this change in policy on the tendency of women to provide their eggs for research involving cloned human embryos. [HL5792]

Newcastle Primary Care Trust (PCT) has offered three cycles of in vitro fertilisation to eligible patients from 1 April 2009. We do not hold information on whether PCT funding criteria has an impact on the tendency of women to donate their eggs for research.