Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Markham on 28 October (HL2572), whether the Scientific and Clinical Advances Advisory Committee of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority intends to consult the general public regarding (1) additional techniques that aim to replace mitochondria in embryos, (2) embryonic genome-editing techniques that are not currently considered to be ready for clinical use, or (3) extending the 14-day limit for embryo research; and, if so, what steps they have taken to inform the public of any such consultations.

The Scientific and Clinical Advances Advisory Committee is an advisory committee of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority and therefore has no plans to consult the general public on these issues.