Human Fertilisation and Embryology

Part of Living Wage (Reporting) – in the House of Commons at 3:17 pm on 3 February 2015.

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Photo of Jim Shannon Jim Shannon Shadow DUP Spokesperson (Health), Shadow DUP Spokesperson (Transport), Shadow DUP Spokesperson (Human Rights) 3:17, 3 February 2015

I am sorry, I cannot give way. I do not have enough time.

The legal opinion of the Labour QC, Lord Brennan, seemed to suggest that the Government will not bother with clinical trials. That seems extraordinary and will come as a shock to many who spoke in favour in the debate on 1 September. My colleague, Lord Morrow, spoke to the Northern Ireland Attorney-General about the attempt of the Department of Health to argue in the response to Brennan that these regulations are not caught by the clinical trials directive, on the basis that the intention is to skip clinical trials. The Attorney-General told Lord Morrow that in his opinion the Department of Health is wrong and the regulations do indeed contradict the clinical trials directive. If the regulations go through today, they will be contradictory to international law as well. The same point was made by 44 Members of the European Parliament. I urge the House to vote against the regulations.