HFEA - Report must meet test of public confidence

Suzi Leather, the chair of the HFEA, said today that the acid test of the Science and Technology Select Committee's report on reproductive technologies would be how well it dealt with the public's concerns, while taking forward issues of public interest.

She noted that the UK was a world leader in fertility treatment and research, partly because "public confidence in the checks and controls on the sector has allowed the researchers and health professionals to take their work forward".

She noted that the report had made "a number of bold and challenging recommendations". She said: "Our role, as independent regulator, has been to ensure that the public interest is safeguarded, the sector is accountable and standards are maintained."