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Medicines and Medical Devices Bill

My Lords, it is a great pleasure to follow the noble Lord, Lord Hunt of Kings Heath, on this very important amendment. It is an example of how, with high moral standards, the Ministers involved have been listening. With others, I wish to sincerely thank the noble Lords, Lord Bethell and Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, and the noble Baroness, Lady Penn, who have listened to very difficult information and accepted the important responsibility we have on the world stage.

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Many of us have been concerned for some time about forced organ harvesting from prisoners of conscience. The amendment is a strong signal that the UK does not turn a blind eye, however uncomfortable facing the problem may be.

Of course, there are other aspects beyond the scope of the Bill that we cannot ignore. First, the amendment covers only medicines. I have an ongoing concern that medical instruments or machines could be developed by experimenting on prisoners through practice operations or procedures. We must never forget the history of Dr Mengele and his colleagues, who claimed scientific pursuit, inflicting fatal torture on innocent people interned in concentration camps. Can the Government confirm that they will be increasingly vigilant over how imported products have been developed and manufactured, and make sure that we do not export anything that can continue some of the atrocities that we have heard of?

Secondly, there is a gap in the HTA regulations around proof of consent over imported tissues. Will the Government address that gap and ensure that newly obtained tissues cannot be imported without proper consent to donate those tissues?

Lastly, will the Government undertake to continue to support efforts to tackle transplant tourism? We know, sadly, that some people have misguidedly gone to China for organ transplantation. Tackling this requires a concerted effort, including increasing donor rates in other countries, as well as here, so as to decrease the demand that fuels killing for organs. But change takes time.

Today, we welcome wholeheartedly what the Government have done and the very important signals that are now being sent to the rest of the world. Like other noble Lords, I thank all those involved most sincerely.