---

Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill [HL]

I am still unclear about the response to Amendments Nos. 1 and 2 of the noble Lord, Lord Patel. Surely where it says, "““including cells of the female germ line at any stage of maturity””," that is already adequately covered by existing regulations through local and central ethical committees. It therefore hardly needs an extra piece of legislation through the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority. It is important that we understand that human tissues are already seriously regulated, as they should be, by the Government. It would be nonsense. For example, if you take the issue of the germ cell tumour, which occurs both in the ovary and the testes, we would not actually be able to do research on those tumours in that there is no suggestion that one is going to produce a pregnancy or try to treat infertility. But this research is important, and might be curtailed. That is example of where the Government need to think about this phrase, as raised by my friend the noble Lord, Lord Patel. Can the noble Baroness respond to my concern?