Clause 7
Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill [Lords]
5:00 pm
John Pugh (Shadow Minister, Treasury; Southport, Liberal Democrat)
My question is on proposed new section 8ZA(2), which states:
“In carrying out its functions, the Authority must, so far as is relevant”—
I am not clear when it would not be relevant—
“have regard to the principles of best regulatory practice...including the principles under which regulatory activities should be transparent, accountable”
and so on. It is accepted that the HFEA and its delegated committees will make some big decisions, but it is not guaranteed to be without conflicts of interest, whether financial, as have been mentioned, or based on research—people may wish to encourage research in which they are involved or actively discourage research in which they are involved. In fact, such conflicts of interest, far from being hypothetical, are regarded as extremely likely by most members of the Committee who have spoken. There are also public funding issues.
I recognise that the HFEA has a strong lay element, but in any environment in which there are lay and professional people, the latter have a big impact on what the former decide and think. The HFEA has a strong ethics committee, but that is largely concerned with the treatment of its clients.
It is perfectly likely—I am assured that this happens—that when making decisions that have financial or research implications, members declare and state their interests. However, I pondered some time ago whether there was a standing register of interests. My hon. Friend the Member for Oxford, West and Abingdon declared an interest at the beginning of the previous sitting, but I assume that if we check carefully, we will find a further declaration in the Register of Members’ Interests—[Interruption.] One would indeed hope so. I have scoured HFEA’s website to find out what are people’s relevant standing interests, whether financial or research. I could not find that information, so I contacted the HFEA and asked whether it had a standing register of interests. I thought that that was a good idea if only because there will be huge sums of money riding on some of its decisions—one has only to see the investment by the Wellcome Trust and others to realise how big those sums might be. Does the Minister know whether there is a standing register of interests for HFEA members? If not, suggesting that it produce one might be a laudable way of future-proofing legislation.