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172990

	registered interest
	date	12/01/2015
	answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept id	16
	answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	hansard heading	Saudi Arabia and Egypt
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Saudi Arabia about the public flogging of a citizen who professed his atheism, and to the government of Egypt about the imprisonment of a citizen for professing atheism; and what assessment they have made of how such punishments may be reconciled with Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
	tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
	uin	HL4062
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/01/2015 answer text <p>We are seriously concerned by Raif Badawi’s case. The UK condemns the use of cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment in all circumstances. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) has raised the matter with the Saudi Ambassador. We have previously raised the case at a senior level with the Saudi authorities.</p><p>The UK is a strong supporter of freedom of expression around the world. We believe that people must be allowed to freely discuss and debate issues, peacefully challenge their governments, exercise the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, and speak out against violations of human rights wherever they occur.</p><p>In Egypt, our Embassy in Cairo closely monitors cases where freedom of expression is threatened. I met the Egyptian Deputy Assistant Minister for Human Rights on 14 January. Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers have been clear throughout recent events in Egypt that the freedom of religious belief needs to be protected. We deplore all discrimination against religious minorities and constraints on their freedom to practise what they believe. <br> <br>We believe, as article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states, that everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion and that this right includes freedom to change one’s religion or belief. Any action to punish an individual for their faith or belief is not compatible with article 18.</p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 26/01/2015 17:14:07 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
	tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

172723

	registered interest
	date	08/01/2015
	answering body	Department of Health
	answering dept id	17
	answering dept short name	Health
	answering dept sort name	Health
	hansard heading	IVF
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Statement by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health, Jane Ellison, on 17 December 2014 (HC Deb, col. 96WS), what concerns were raised by the expert panel convened by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) regarding the possibility of carryover of a small percentage of abnormal mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from the affected oocyte or zygote as a result of close associations between mtDNA and the karyoplast; what additional consideration the HFEA’s expert panel gave to replicative advantage of some mtDNA variants skewing the proportions in subsequent development as a result of a mitochondrial bottleneck; whether they can therefore guarantee that no females born following spindle-chromosomal complex transfer or pronuclear transfer would ever transmit the disease to subsequent generations; if not, whether serial nuclear transfer would minimise this risk; and why serial nuclear transfer is precluded by Regulations 3(c) and 6(c) of the Draft Human Fertilisation and Embryology (Mitochondrial Donation) Regulations 2015, which prevent any further "alterations in the nuclear or mitochondrial DNA".
	tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
	uin	HL4043
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/01/2015 answer text <p>We are advised by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) that the issues raised by the noble Lord are discussed at various points in the Expert Panel’s 2014 report, as follows:</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>- mitochondrial DNA carryover at sections 3.7.2 to 3.7.11;</p><p> </p><p>- nuclear-mitochondrial interactions at sections 3.7.15 to 3.7.20; and</p><p> </p><p>- points relating to replicative advantage and mitochondrial bottleneck are widely discussed throughout section 3.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Panel’s report is attached.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The HFEA has also advised that the Expert Panel it convened concluded that, following Maternal Spindle Transfer or Pronuclear Transfer, the risks of mitochondrial disease in the next generation will be low. Further details can be found in section 3 of the Panel’s 2014 report.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Serial nuclear transfer is not a term or process connected with mitochondrial donation. Therefore, serial transfer is not something the Expert Panel has considered.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Earl Howe question first answered 22/01/2015 16:49:38 answering member 2000 label Biography information for Earl Howe attachment 1 file name HFEA Panel's Report.pdf title HFEA's Panel Report
	tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

172991

	registered interest
	date	12/01/2015
	answering body	Department of Health
	answering dept id	17
	answering dept short name	Health
	answering dept sort name	Health
	hansard heading	IVF
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 18 November 2014 (HL2644), whether they will place in the Library of the House a full copy of the correspondence between members of the expert panel convened by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority and the Zhang research group, as referenced by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health, Jane Ellison, in her letter to Lord Alton of Liverpool dated 30 October 2014; and if not, what was the evidential basis for the relevant statements in that letter.
	tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
	uin	HL4063
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/01/2015 answer text <p>The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that the correspondence the Expert Panel member had with the research group does not add any more information to what had already been outlined in the relevant abstract, by John Zhang et al, published in Fertility and Sterility, Vol. 80, Suppl. 3, September 2003, which makes it clear the complications related to the multiple pregnancy and that the fetuses were found to be genetically normal. The Panel confirmed with the research group that it did not publish any further detail or follow up to this study, so the Panel has taken the view that there is nothing further for it to consider in relation to this case. For this reason, there is no ‘data concerned’.</p><p> </p><p><strong> </strong></p><p> </p><p>The HFEA has also advised that the member of the Expert Panel corresponded with one of the authors of this abstract in his capacity as a Panel member, not on behalf of the HFEA. This correspondence was shared with the other Panel members. The Expert Panel is independent of the HFEA and does not act of its behalf.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Earl Howe grouped question UIN HL4228 question first answered 26/01/2015 12:16:50 answering member 2000 label Biography information for Earl Howe
	tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

172992

	registered interest
	date	12/01/2015
	answering body	Department of Health
	answering dept id	17
	answering dept short name	Health
	answering dept sort name	Health
	hansard heading	Human-animal Hybrid Embryos
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by Viscount Younger of Leckie on 12 November 2013 (WA 113) and by Earl Howe on 22 January 2014 (WA 129), whether the generation of any human admixed embryos as defined under section 4A(6)(a) to (c) of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 would constitute genetic modification; and if not, why not.
	tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
	uin	HL4064
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/01/2015 answer text <p>The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) advises that the creation of human admixed embryos is permitted by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990, as amended, solely for the purposes of research allowed by the Act. These embryos cannot continue to be used in research after 14 days or the appearance of the primitive streak, whichever is the earlier, and must be discarded.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The HFEA does not believe that discussion of genetic modification, as it might be considered to apply to the creation of human admixed embryos, can usefully add to the debate on the definition of genetic modification in humans.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Earl Howe question first answered 26/01/2015 12:18:30 answering member 2000 label Biography information for Earl Howe
	tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

172994

	registered interest
	date	12/01/2015
	answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept id	26
	answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	hansard heading	Mesothelioma
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether any of the successful mesothelioma research grant applications made to either the National Institute for Health Research or the Medical Research Council between financial years 2010–11 and 2013–14 have been funded by the £3 million contribution received in 2010 from the insurance industry towards mesothelioma research.
	tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
	uin	HL4066
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/01/2015 answer text <p>Successful mesothelioma research grant applications submitted to the National Institute for Health Research and the Medical Research Council have been supported by these organisations’ own funding. Two of the three Medical Research Council fellowships were co-funded with the British Lung Foundation and Mick Knighton Mesothelioma Fund which together provided £150k of the total £483k awarded to these fellowships. Both awards were made following the £3m fund from the insurance industry was established and donated to the British Lung Foundation for mesothelioma research. However we do not have information on how the British Lung Foundation attributed the £3m so cannot say whether any of this money was used to support the British Lung Foundation contribution to these fellowships.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Neville-Rolfe question first answered 26/01/2015 12:25:14 answering member 4284 label Biography information for Baroness Neville-Rolfe
	tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

172993

	registered interest
	date	12/01/2015
	answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept id	26
	answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	hansard heading	Mesothelioma
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the breakdown of the mesothelioma research funding applications made to the Medical Research Council in the last five financial years between the separate categories of Centre Grants; New Investigator Research Grants; Research Grants; Programme Grants; and Trial Grants.
	tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
	uin	HL4065
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/01/2015 answer text <p>In Earl Howe’s written answer of 06 January 2015 (HL Deb, c173W) it was specified that the 10 applications were for grants and fellowships. Although fellowships are not mentioned in this question, we are including them in the response so that the numbers align.</p><p> </p><p>Of the 10 applications for grants and fellowships relating to mesothelioma that were received by the MRC between 2009/10 and 2013/14:</p><p> </p><p>- Five were fellowships of which were three were funded. All of the fellowship applications were for Clinical Research Training Fellowships;</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>- Five were grants, of which:</p><p> </p><p>One was a Centre Grant (funded)</p><p> </p><p>Two were New Investigator Research Grants (unfunded)</p><p> </p><p>Two were Research Grants (unfunded)</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Neville-Rolfe question first answered 23/01/2015 13:11:53 answering member 4284 label Biography information for Baroness Neville-Rolfe
	tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

172722

	registered interest
	date	08/01/2015
	answering body	Department of Health
	answering dept id	17
	answering dept short name	Health
	answering dept sort name	Health
	hansard heading	IVF
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 6 February 2014 (WA 76) and the Written Statement by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health, Jane Ellison, on 17 December 2014 (HC Deb, cols 96–7WS), whether an enucleated embryo being unable to survive without nuclear DNA necessarily implies that both steps of the different processes described in Regulations 4 and 7 must be completed in their entirety in order to generate the permitted egg or embryo referred to in Regulations 3(a) and 6(a) respectively of the Draft Human Fertilisation and Embryology (Mitochondrial Donation) Regulations 2015; and if not, whether they will describe how individual eggs or embryos that have been enucleated might be used directly in infertility treatment as egg P or embryo P.
	tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
	uin	HL4042
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/01/2015 answer text <p>Enucleated eggs and embryos are, in themselves, non-viable and, therefore, cannot be used for the treatment of infertility. The different processes used to generate a permitted egg or embryo, referred to in Regulations 4 and 7, will be completed in their entirety.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Earl Howe question first answered 22/01/2015 11:50:59 answering member 2000 label Biography information for Earl Howe
	tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool