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Responses to the consultation on the Review of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act

  • Launch date:
    16 August 2005
  • Closing date:
    25 November 2005
  • Creator/s:
    Department of Health
  • Audience:
    Health and social care professionals
  • Copyright holder:
    Crown
  • Gateway number:
    6153
  • Outcome published:
    29 March 2006

The Government announced in 2004 that it intended to review the provisions of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 (the HFE Act), including holding a public consultation exercise in 2005.

The Government's aim in reviewing the HFE Act is to ensure that the law remains effective and fit for purpose in the early 21st century. This consultation is part of a process of re-establishing a framework that is broadly acceptable to society.

The consultation ran from 16 August to 25 November 2005 and posed a wide range of questions about how the law might be updated, including how it deals with issues such as embryo screening for inherited disorders, sex selection and possible future technologies such as artificial gametes.

A total of 535 responses were received from a wide range of stakeholders and individuals.  On March 29 2006, the Minister for Public Health, Caroline Flint, announced publication of a report on the Review of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act public consultation.  The report was produced for the Department of Health by People, Science and Policy Limited and comprises an independent summary of the arguments raised.

We are in the process of giving full consideration to all points of view raised in the public consultation on these very weighty matters and expect to make policy proposals in the summer.  The Report can be accessed via the link below:

For copies of the report to the consultation please contact Pauline Rouse on 020 7972 1252 or email:

In addition, over the same period as the public consultation, the Department of Health funded the Progress Educational Trust to host an online discussion forum with the aim of facilitating open public discussion on issues raised in the context of the review.  A summary of the postings made has been produced and can be read on the PET website at:

Responses to the consultation

Responses are listed in alphabetical order of the name of the respondent (not all responses have been scanned in at the time of publication, but will be added as soon as possible). Responses from organisations whose titles are primarily linked to a place-name are listed by that place-name (e.g., the East Notts and Lincs Designated Research Team, the Nottingham Primary Care Research Partnership, the Queens Medical Centre, Nottingham, and the University of Nottingham School of Nursing  are all grouped together under N).

If you are searching for a specific response, please use Control+F or F3 to search the page.

A - C

D - J

K - S

T - Z

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