HFEA set to approve payment of £250 for eggs

In a move that will impact stem cell research, Britain's Human Fertility and Embryology Authority (HFEA), the government regulator of this highly sensitive area, is expected to approve a policy of payment for eggs when it meets on Wednesday (Feb. 21). At present, clinics are not allowed to accept eggs donated for scientific research unless they are a byproduct of either IVF treatment or sterilisation.

The HFEA's influential Ethics and Law Committee has already privately recommended the controversial switch, and the authority is expected to follow this recommendation. The committee based its opinion on a 64-page report, seen by The Observer, summarising the arguments. 'The potential scientific gains outweigh the objections,' said one source closely involved in the decision.