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Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill [HL]

I had not intended to take part in the debate, but I was spurred to do so by the remarks of the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Winchester. I shall make a point that was perhaps overlooked when the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of St Albans made a similar point at Second Reading. He spoke about the absence of a sufficiently obvious ethical base to the Bill. It has struck me ever since that we have overlooked the fact that there is a strong ethical basis to the Bill: it was set in 1990 and it has endured. The fact that the Government and all noble Lords who have so far participated so in the drawing-up of the legislation have already agreed, acknowledged and worked to those principles, which are so embedded in what we do, may perhaps lead people to read our debates and miss that point. I have sat here for the duration of the debate. The distinction which is being suggested between those who are practitioners and those who are not, on the basis of their commitment to an ethical principle, is simply unfounded. Noble Lords may or may not be aware that there is a growing practice within the NHS to have not only local research ethics committees but also local clinical ethics committees. My great fear is that some of the motivation for setting up yet another body is a desire to slow down the pace of research. Noble Lords should remember that earlier this year two of our world-leading scientific research teams stopped work in order that they could be guided by Parliament after this Bill had been discussed. As I listened to the speech of noble Lord, Lord Patten, I became more and more convinced that there is something wrong with this debate and this proposal. We ignore the technical and commercial application of these principles at our peril. The technicians and people involved in technical developments in a commercial capacity are often at the very forefront of uncovering new applications, to which ethical consideration has to be given. Finally, I assume from the discussion that were this commission ever to be set up, it would not meet on a Friday afternoon.