Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for its policies on human fetal tissue and gametes intended for human application of the Human Tissue (Quality and Safety for Human Application) (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020.

The Human Tissue (Quality and Safety for Human Application) (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 amend the Human Tissue (Quality and Safety for Human Application) Regulations 2007 and regulate the quality and safety of activities concerning human tissues and cells intended for use in human application. These regulations apply to pregnancy remains to the extent they are used for human application. The Human Tissue (Quality and Safety for Human Application) (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 do not make any changes to the consent requirements in this area. There will be some changes to the coding requirements, but there remains an underlying requirement to ensure traceability. Traceability of relevant material remains a key factor under the Human Tissue Act 2004, and any establishment working with human tissue under the purposes outlined in the legislation will need to be able to evidence this.

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 amend the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 and regulate the quality and safety of activities concerning gametes and embryos. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 have not changed the safety and quality standards regarding transportation of human gametes under the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 (as amended).