---

Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill [HL]

My Lords, these are indeed complex issues. There has been considerable debate during the passage of the Bill on the issue of recording the fact of donor conception on birth certificates. As I said during Report, the Government fully recognise the importance of donor-conceived children being aware of their origins and we have a policy of openness in that area. We are taking a number of steps in this respect. The Department of Health is working closely with the Donor Conception Network to support projects to encourage telling donor-conceived children about the details of their conception. We are funding the ““Telling and Talking”” project, which supports parents who have donor-conceived children to tell them about their conception. We are also funding a second project, which will be working with prospective parents hoping to conceive using donor gametes. The House earlier accepted an amendment that will require a licence condition to be placed on clinics to ensure that people being treated with donor gametes or embryos are provided with information about the importance of telling their child from an early age that they were donor conceived. However, I fully recognise the point the noble Lord, Lord Jenkin, makes about the need to review the position on the birth certificates of donor-conceived people. It is clear that many noble Lords have given a lot of thought to the needs of donor-conceived people, the importance of knowledge about their genetic history, and the implications of annotating birth certificates in some way. We need to keep in mind the options and consider how people’s views on those options may change. Assessing the impact of the Donor Conception Network’s projects to educate patients and parents about the need to tell will play a part in that. I can make a firm commitment that the Government will carry out a review of practices in informing donor-conceived children of the fact of their donor conception and whether there is a need for a change in the law to best ensure that donor-conceived children are informed of their donor conception. We will do this within the timeframe suggested by the amendment tabled by the noble Lord, Lord Jenkin. The noble Baroness, Lady Howarth, is right to speak of the need for us to be clear about the aims and remit of the review. We must take care. We cannot accept the amendment as tabled, as it refers to the law and practice in this area, but there is no law in place to review in relation to the annotation of birth certificates. I can commit to a review. Placing the provision in the Bill still poses problems, but I understand the reasoning behind the amendment and the strength of feeling in your Lordships’ House. I therefore invite the noble Lord to withdraw the amendment and accept the firm commitment I am making, and assure him that I will continue discussions with him and others as the Bill continues its passage in the other place. Before I conclude, I also want to place on record my thanks to my noble friend Lord Darzi and to all Members of the House who have taken part in these extraordinary debates on such scientific and ethical issues. It has been the most amazing education and a huge privilege to have taken part in discussion on the Bill. I am also very grateful to the Bill team. The Bill has benefited greatly from the wisdom that your Lordships have imparted in debates in this House.