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Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill [HL]

My Lords, throughout the course of this Bill, I have undergone a remarkable educational experience. The education has been confined not solely to science, although I now have an understanding of scientific matters I never knew existed, but to the social sciences as well. Like the noble Lord, Lord Jenkin, I have paid attention to these matters and listened as fully as I can to the different views of the different parties. I congratulate him on turning up with a slightly new amendment; I do not wish to go back over the debates we have already had. Yet we have moved no further forward than was the case in 1990, when the great brains of people like the noble Baroness, Lady Warnock, tried to find an answer to this question. We simply have not done so. While many people will welcome the amendment as a force behind the department which will make it consider the issue, it is important to remember that for some others it is something to fear, something they will not want to see. I state again that, although many of us share very deep concern that people should know their genetic identity, we are yet to be convinced that mandatory inclusion of information on birth certificates is the most effective way to ensure that that information ends up with those children. My concern is that the amendment attempts to address the issue in one way only, when that may not be the most effective way. I hope that, if there is any review, it is a very expansive review about the need of children to know who they are and how they get to find out. Finally, I, too, want to place on record our thanks from these Benches to the Ministers—the noble Lord, Lord Darzi, has got a tremendous first innings under his belt—to the Bill team, who have been exceptionally generous with their time, and to the scientific noble Lords for giving us all some splendid tutorials along the way. To those who disagreed with what I had to say, I found their contributions remarkably helpful at times.