British government scraps advice bodies

As part of its plans to reduce substantially public spending, the UK is disbanding many of the advisory bodies it has traditionally paid to provide independent advice on a wide range of issues. Amongst these, two have been key in providing scientific advice. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) was established in 1991 as a source of expertise on assisted fertilisation and human embryo research. But, to the concern of many, the government has now decided to close it down. In a brief statement in response to the decision, the HFEA said that the statutory functions of the body would be transferred to other health bodies, in particular the Care Quality Commission. “IVF needs to be effectively regulated and the current system has served the public, patients and licensed centres well,” the chair of the HFEA, Lisa Jardine said. Perhaps the most significant achievement of the body was the work it did to help establish the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act last year. Large parts of the Act “have seen parliament bring into law many areas where the HFEA has developed policy, as science and society have evolved,” the body said. “Legislation, including regulating the creation of human embryos outside the body, banning sex selection for non-medical reasons, provisions clarifying the scope of embryo research and making it easier to do follow up research using HFEA data,” were all introduced in the Act as a result of HFEA’s work. The HFEA also steered through controversial support for two licences from King’s College London and Newcastle University to create animal–human embryos for research, two years ago. They offered one-year licences subject to a series of detailed conditions of use. The closure of the authority has raised worries. “The HFEA regulates fertility organisations, puts ideas out to consultation, does what they call