Clause 6
Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill [Lords]
4:30 pm
Mark Simmonds (Shadow Minister, Health; Boston and Skegness, Conservative)
I beg to move amendment No. 4, in clause 6, page 5, line 35, leave out subsection (3).
The amendment relates particularly to the charging of fees specifically to give advice. There is no question that there is a necessity for the HFEA to be allowed to charge for licensing, even though some of the licensing fees, based on the number of people benefiting from and using the clinic, are very substantial indeed, in some cases running into the hundreds of thousands of pounds.
The amendment would remove the right of the authority to charge a fee for advice. Will the Minister explain what that advice might be? What, in fact, might the HFEA want to charge for? Surely advice should be freely available to allow those who are considering applying for a licence to have the best opportunity to submit all the relevant documents in the first place. That should be part of a consultation process free at the point of access with the HFEA.
From my reading of the clause, it would also enable the authority to charge a person considering treatment for providing gametes or embryos. In my view, this should be free, as the current process is costly, traumatic and time-consuming enough. There has to be an assumption that the HFEA will give free advice to clinics to enable them to meet the criteria, to get the licence and to ensure that they are safe. There is concern from within the clinic community that HFEA charges could amount to not insubstantial sums for carrying out roles that the authority should be fulfilling in the first place. I am referring to the additional information that is required for obtaining a licence, for renewing a licence, or for future discussions and advice on interim inspection reports.
Will the Minister clarify what sort of categories of advice the HFEA will be able to charge for? Is it advice about confidentiality, consent or licensing? Might it also be advice to those donating embryos and gametes, because the last thing that we want to do is to deter people from wanting to be donors?