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Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill [HL]

I strongly support the amendment argued by my noble and learned friend Lord Mackay and my noble friend Lord Jenkin of Roding. I have only two, rather simple points. First, any practitioner of the ministerial arts—being a Minister is probably more of an art, sometimes black rather than white, than a scientific practice—is always wise to have as much wriggle room as possible and, in taking legislation through this place and another place, to have opt-outs, opt-ins and the ability to put things in and out by regulation. It would be helpful to know at this or some later stage of these considerations in Committee whether the noble Lord, Lord Darzi, sees the regulation-making power that he proposes as having to be debated regulation by regulation in your Lordships' House, or as being able to go through simply by ministerial fiat, as is often the case. Secondly, although I am no expert in these medical and ethical issues, it strikes me that if the noble Lord has his way and line 35 appears on the statute book when the Bill passes into law, it would be possible for him or one of his colleagues in the Department of Health to come forward with a regulation in some future year, notwithstanding the fact that there has been an enormous amount of regulatory angst and philosophical discussion about the ethical position of this or that outside your Lordships’ House.