Commenting on the report of the joint committee on the Draft Human Tissue and Embryos Bill, AMRC’s Chief Executive, Simon Denegri said: “The joint committee report has delivered a series of robust recommendations on the Draft Bill. While we share its conclusion that it was appropriate for Government to re-examine the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act (1990) in the light of scientific advances, the Government’s approach thus far has been flawed and not reflected the need to pursue new avenues of research for patient benefit.

“The Committee’s recommendation to call for a free vote in Parliament on the issue of inter-species (hybrid) embryos is based on a thorough consideration of all the evidence, and we welcome their recommendation, if the proposal were adopted by Parliament, of a single broad definition of interspecies embryos, with the onus on the HFEA as regulator to interpret and apply to individual research applications.”

On the issue of public opinion and public understanding, the report recommends the Government should commission independent public policy research into general public opinion on issues arising from scientific and ethical developments in this field and the wider field of bioethics. Writing in the latest issue of Research Fortnight Simon Denegri commented “[the hybrid embryo debate] demonstrates the need for policy-makers - with others across the research community – to develop better and more robust means of tracking public opinion and a more coherent approach to public engagement on science policy running alongside the expert advice it is receiving from other quarters.”

AMRC submitted oral and written evidence to the committee’s inquiry.