Professor Liam Donaldson, the Chief Medical Officer, today announced the membership and terms of reference of the group on therepeutic cloning. He will chair the group, which has been set up by the Government to consider the pros and cons of therapeutic cloning.

  The Government announced its intention to set up an expert group to examine the potential benefits, risks and alternatives to therapeutic cloning research in its response to the joint report from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority and Human Genetics Advisory Commission, Cloning Issues in Reproduction, Science and Medicine.

  The terms of reference of the new group are:

—  to establish the extent to which there is a current research focus on therapeutic cloning including stem cell studies, when developments are likely to arise and where they could lead;

—  to asses the anticipated benefits of such research; the potential risk; and any alternative approaches that might be pursued to achieve the same benefits;

—  in the light of the assessed benefits, risks and alternative to consider whether there are any ethical and social implications beyond those addressed by the HFEA/HGAC Report, Cloning Issues in Reproduction, Science and Medicine;

—  to advise whether regulations need to be made under the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 to extend the purposes for which the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority may issue licences for research involving human embryos; and

—  to advise on whether any additional regulation of the use of embryonic cell lines (such as stem cells) is required.

  The membership is:

Professor Liam Donaldson, Chief Medical Officer, (chair);

Professor David Baird, MRC Clinical Research Professor, Centre for Reproductive Biology, University of Edinburgh;
Professor WF Blakemore, Department of Clinical Veterninary Medicine, University of Cambridge;
Professor John Burn, Regional Genetics Services, Newcastle upon Tyne;
Professor Alastair Campbell, Professor of Ethics in Medicine, University of Bristol;
Professor Dian Donnai, CMOs consultant adviser in Genetics, Regional Genetics Services, Manchester;
Professor Martin Evans, Director and Professor of Mammalian Genetics, Cardiff University;
Professor Brian Heap, Master of St Edmunds College, Cambridge;
Professor David Linch, Department of Haematology, University College London;
Sir Robert May, Government's Chief Scientific Adiviser;
Professor Sir Peter Morris, Nuffield Professor of Surgery, Oxford University;
Dr Derek Morgan, Reader in Law, Cardiff University;
The Revd Dr John Polkinghorne, Chairman of Advisory Committee on Genetic Testing, member of the Human Genetics Advisory Commission; and
Sir David Weatherall, Honorary Director, Institute of Molecular Medicine, John Radcliffe Hospital.