Oral Answers to Questions

Fiona Bruce Excerpts

Tuesday 21st October 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. We have overrun, principally because of long questions and answers earlier, but I am keen to accommodate a couple more colleagues.

[Fiona Bruce (Congleton) (Con)]

Mitochondrial technique was last tried on humans in 2003 by John Zhang, resulting, I understand, in two still births and an abortion. Last week, one of the members of an expert panel of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority said he had only just become aware of Zhang’s study. What action will Ministers take to ensure that this worrying study is properly examined before any steps are taken to bring this issue before the House?

[Jane Ellison]

My hon. Friend takes a great interest in this matter and led the Back-Bench business debate on 1 September. I will certainly ask the HFEA and the expert panel to look at the study to which she refers, but I can provide the reassurance I have given before—that the wide body of expertise and information out there about mitochondrial disease is regularly reviewed over a long period of time.