---

Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill [HL]

My Lords, my comments will be extremely brief because I fully appreciate the intentions underlying the amendment and the ethical considerations that have led many noble Lords to support it. I am concerned about one matter only: the suggestion that cogent evidence must include published and peer-reviewed scientific data would effectively prevent researchers in the United Kingdom taking ahead cutting-edge research at the frontiers of science. It would mean that they could be engaged only in research on human embryos and human admixed embryos, following up work that had been done and published elsewhere. That alone makes the amendment quite unacceptable and, despite the excellent speeches we have heard, it is for that reason that I cannot support it.