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SEANAD REPORT:IN PREPARATORY work for legislation, account would have to be taken of recent scientific developments providing a route to research on human stem cells without any negative ethical problems attaching to them, said Minister for Science and Technology Jimmy Devins.

Speaking in the debate on the Stem-Cell Research (Protection of Human Embryos) Bill, introduced by Ronan Mullen (Ind), the Minister said the preparation for legislation in relation to assisted human reproduction and embryonic stem-cell research involved setting out the full range of issues and identifying all of the inter-relationships between them - including all of those to which Mr Mullen's Bill referred. Once completed, this body of work would be a platform from which a legal framework to govern this area would be derived.