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Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill [HL]

I believe that there may have been some misunderstanding, which has resulted in this amendment—the misunderstanding being exactly what my professional friend Lord Winston described. The training that is required for any clinician to become a competent in vitro fertilisation clinician is normal process. It would include how to store gametes and embryos properly, how to handle them properly, how to identify good quality embryos and how to make poor quality embryos good quality by removing the fragment that reduces the chances of implantation. Those are normal training practices. The misunderstanding arises from the belief that this is not allowed under this legislation. I believe that is wrong. It does allow it. It does not include this normal training. The only thing that we are concerned about—that will be dealt with in the next amendment—is pre-implantation diagnosis testing. That testing requires one to have the expertise to carry out the biopsy to which the noble Lord, Lord Walton, referred. That is a completely different issue from that which this amendment is trying to cover. I thought there was a clear understanding that the reason this amendment is not required is because all these training issues are allowable as normal, good clinical training.