Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by Earl Howe on 29 August 2013 (WA 315–16) and 24 January 2014 (WA 170–71), what progress the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has made over the past year in implementing its action plan in response to the McCracken Report recommendations; what were the detailed policy outcomes of discussions between the Executive and Authority members described in paragraph 6.18 of the Minutes of the HFEA’s meeting on 11 September 2013; and what specific changes the HFEA has introduced to mitigate the risks of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome in accordance with Recommendations 10 and 11 of the McCracken Report and in the light of paragraphs 4.40 and 4.44 therein.

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that progress on implementing the McCracken Report recommendations was last reported to the Authority in March 2014. Papers for that meeting are published on the HFEA’s website at:

www.hfea.gov.uk/8782.html

The HFEA has also advised that in July 2014, the Authority agreed a new strategy for 2014-2017, which sets out its regulatory focus. Also at its meeting in July, Authority members agreed to give consideration to the collection of additional data when a case of Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome is reported. The HFEA will take expert scientific and medical advice on whether such data collection would be of value and on the feasibility of collecting reliable information. The papers for the July 2014 meeting are published on the HFEA’s website at:

www.hfea.gov.uk/Authority-July-2014.html