Proposals to change responsibility for regulating fertility treatment and human tissue are set out today with the launch of a consultation on the future of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) and the Human Tissue Authority (HTA).
The UK-wide consultation will consider whether the regulators’ responsibilities should move to the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and the Health Research Authority.
The move is part of broader plans to cut NHS administrative costs by more than a third by 2015. This will partly be achieved by streamlining functions and reducing the number of NHS bodies, including arms length bodies – which should deliver savings of over £180 million by 2014/15.
The consultation seeks views on whether:
- all functions should transfer to the CQC except the HFEA functions relating to research that would pass to the Health Research Authority; and the HFEA and HTA be abolished
- all functions should transfer, as set out above, but a limited number of functions would transfer to organisations other than the CQC
- the HFEA and HTA should retain their functions but deliver further savings
Health Minister Lord Howe said:
“Services must be delivered in the most efficient way possible. By making sure that the right functions are being carried out at the appropriate level, we will free up savings to support front-line NHS services.
“We have set out a range of options and through this consultation we want to have a full debate. Any final decisions will be taken after we have fully considered the consultation responses, evidence and other relevant information.”
The consultation runs until 28 September. Any person, business or organisation with an interest is encouraged to respond.
- Download the fertility and human tissue regulators consultation document (PDF, 339K)
- Download the consultation questionnaire form (DOC, 34K)
- Download the Equality analysis (PDF, 98K)
- Download the Impact Assessment (PDF, 2684K)