Clause 45 - Surplus tissue
Human Tissue Bill
10:30 am
Ms Rosie Winterton (Minister of State, Department of Health; Doncaster Central, Labour)
We return to an issue—the use of human material variously described as ''residual'', ''waste'' or ''surplus''—on which the Committee has had considerable debate. To return to the Bill's principles that we are entitled to determine how material from our bodies should be used and that we should have to consent to the use of that material, we should not assume that any material that is left over from one use can be somehow used for another purpose without consent. If we followed that path, we would undermine the Bill's consent provisions, which are its very foundation. That is not only the Government's view, but is mentioned in the guidance provided by the General Medical Council:
''You must obtain appropriate consent or authorisation before taking or retaining organs, tissues or bodily fluids, from patients or volunteers, for research purposes. This applies whether the material is obtained solely for research purposes or retained following a clinical or surgical treatment.''