Science Government Report

This document sets out the Government's reply to the Committee's report (HCP 272-I, session 2006-07; ISBN 9780215033512) on the Government's policy proposals for changes to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 in order to update the law and regulation relating to human reproductive technologies (Cm. 6989, ISBN 9780101698924). The Committee's report argued that the creation of human-animal chimera or hybrid embryos, and specifically cytoplasmic hybrid embryos, are necessary for research purposes, under licence, and criticised the Government for not clearly setting out the areas of research practice intended to fall under the proposed legislation. The Government's response deals with all 34 of the Committee's conclusions and recommendations and finds that the Committee's report has very helpfully moved the debate on this issue forward.

This influential report described science as "a largely unexplored hinterland" that would provide the "essential key" to the economic prosperity of the post World War II years.