A key Dáil committee has voted to reject a European Commission proposal that EU funds be used to pay for embryo research.
The surprise move creates fresh problems for the Government and the Tánaiste, who is expected to vote in favour of the proposal at a European Council meeting on November 27th.
The Joint Committee on Enterprise and Small Business also agreed yesterday to ask the Tánaiste, Ms Harney, to attend the committee and explain the Government's decision to back the Commission's view. The meeting is unlikely to be in advance of the November 27th Council, according to committee members.The consensus vote came at the very end of a lively committee session called to consider the Commission's latest compromise proposal on whether EU taxpayers' money should be used to fund research that in some cases causes the destruction of human embryos.
The committee heard submissions from Mr Ned Costello, assistant secretary general in Ms Harney's Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and from Prof Dervilla Donnelly. Prof Donnelly is chair of the Government-backed Commission on Assisted Human Reproduction, a body currently developing recommendations on a range of issues, including controls on in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and the handling of frozen embryos.
Fianna Fáil's Senator John Hanafin tabled a motion that the committee reject out of hand the Commission proposal. Agreed by the Commission last July, the proposal argues that the current moratorium on Community funding for embryonic stem-cell research be lifted.
If accepted by the Council of Ministers, the EU money would fund experimentation on surplus, unused embryos arising from IVF. The research goal is to recover embryonic stem-cells, cells thought by many scientists to hold great promise in the treatment of intractable illnesses such as Parkinson's disease.
Senator Hanafin had argued during the committee proceedings that any embryo was "the smallest member of the human family". While many developments currently coming from stem-cell research were as important as the discovery of penicillin, Senator Hanafin said he was "saddened that Europeans would put such a proposal before us. I would not be happy to see our money being used for embryo research."
Deputies Mr Brendan Howlin and Mr Phil Hogan then suggested that it might be better to have Ms Harney attend the committee to explain how she and the Government had reached the decision. The chair, Mr Donie Cassidy, supported this position, but Mr Hanafin insisted that the committee take his motion and it was duly passed by consensus without a vote.
"The committee has rejected the Commission proposal. This is clearly using EU funds for embryonic stem-cell research," Mr Hanafin said afterwards.
"We are in line with Italy, Germany and Portugal. Our opinion is quite clearly and definitely that no public money should be given for embryonic stem cell research."
He said he "would like to see the Irish Government take the view that there be no EU funding" for this research. "In the new Europe it is totally inappropriate."
Earlier, Mr John Bruton TD raised ethical questions about the appropriateness of Government support for the Commission's view. There were strong commercial interests associated with the research, but commercial interest "should not be asked to decide on ethical issues", he said. "It should be decided by politicians, not by scientists." There were alternatives to using embryonic stem-cells including adult stem-cells and cells taken from the placenta and umbilical cord, he said. He argued that the "precautionary principal" should apply, with embryonic research being avoided "until we are satisfied that other stem-cells are not adequate".