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Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill [HL]

My Lords, I support the amendment. I appreciated the seven-page letter which the noble Lord, Lord Darzi, wrote to most people who spoke on this subject on Report and which outlined the pros and cons of this type of amendment—in particular, the balance that has to be struck between, on the one hand, the rights of an individual who may be long dead and who gave cells for research and, on the other, the future generations that may benefit from the use of those cells. The letter carefully outlines the thorough safeguards that would have to be introduced before that could occur. I want to point to one particular element in the letter and to probe a little further. In paragraph 23, the noble Lord talks about the need for external scrutiny in the process by which permission is granted for the use of stem cells. That might well provide this whole issue with an important area of safety. I mentioned this briefly on Report, suggesting the use of the Patient Information Advisory Group—PIAG—which is used in the Human Tissue Act. That body seems to have worked reasonably well in allowing for research purposes the use of tissue from patients who are no longer available and in seeking further consent. Perhaps that sort of model would be applicable here.