UK search for HFEA (Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority) chairperson seals HTA (Human Tissue Authority) merger u-turn:
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
Walter Merricks has taken up the interim chairmanship of the UK's Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA). Shirley Harrison, who had been co-chairing the HFEA and the Human Tissue Authority (HTA) in view of their prospective merger, has stepped down after the government decided last month not to establish a single Regulatory Authority for Tissue and Embryos (see Clinica No 1277, p 7). "There is no longer a rationale for one person to chair both authorities," said Ms Harrison, who continues as chair of the HTA. Mr Merricks has a legal background and is the UK's chief financial ombudsman.