Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans his Department has to introduce three parent IVF treatment.

On 17 December 2014 the Government laid affirmative regulations in Parliament to allow the use of mitochondrial donation techniques in clinical practice to prevent the transmission of serious mitochondrial disease from mother to child. A Written Ministerial Statement was issued on 17 December 2014 and is available at the following link:

http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2014-12-17/HCWS132/

The mitochondrial DNA provided by the donor represents less than 0.1% of the total DNA and does not contribute to personal characteristics or traits. These come from nuclear DNA, which is provided solely by the child’s mother and father. The Government therefore would not describe mitochondrial donation as “three parent IVF”.