Taranissi legal debacle serious for HFEA - Dr Evan Harris MP

Dr Evan Harris, Liberal Democrat member of the Science & Technology Select Committee who previously raised concerns about the way the HFEA had behaved during the Panorama programme on Mr. Taranissi's clinic, said:

"This is both astonishing and alarming. Something appears very wrong at the HFEA if they make errors of this nature and then only concede at the door of the court at a cost of over a million pounds of public money.

“Given the apparent willingness of the HFEA to co-operate with the sensationalist piece of investigative journalism by Panorama - something surely inappropriate for a regulator - doubts must be raised as to whether the HFEA allowed a media timetable and presentational issues to conquer better judgement and due process.

“There is a real question as to whether the Chief Executive has been pursuing a grudge against Mr Taranissi and whether the admitted inadequacy in her evidence when obtaining the warrants and the error of judgement in failing to settle the case until now means that the Chief Executives position is untenable."

Contact: Dr Evan Harris MP
Becky Purvis 020 7219 5128 / 07738 014 500