Prime Minister commends the Council on its 20th anniversary

19 December 2011

Prime Minister David Cameron has commended the Council on the reputation it has established over the past two decades for undertaking rigorous examination of topical, and sometimes controversial, subjects using the best expertise available.

In a letter to the Council on its 20th anniversary, Mr Cameron says:

Report of global health symposium

13 December 2011

A detailed report of the Council’s 20^th anniversary symposium ‘Global health: responsibility, ethics and policy’ has been published.

At the symposium, which took place on 22 June 2011, speakers from around the globe discussed topics such as ethics and responsibility in global health, non-communicable diseases, the role of emerging biotechnologies in global health, and social determinants of health.

New teaching resources on the ethics of biofuels

1 December 2011

The Council has published a set of teaching resources based on its 2011 report Biofuels: ethical issues.

This set of resources aims to introduce students to the advantages and disadvantages of different types of biofuels that are being produced as alternative renewable sources of energy for transport.

Activities include case studies and a role play exercise to explore the various motivations that are driving the biofuels industry in different countries, and the possible impact that biofuels can have on people’s everyday lives.

‘Solidarity’ could provide policy solutions, says new report

Press Release

30 November 2011

What do research biobanks, Twitter and the NHS have in common? All involve people who are showing solidarity with others. And thinking about how solidarity plays a role in our society can offer solutions to policy making, concludes a new report published today. For example, Twitter and other social media could be used more systematically to track the spread of disease and share information during flu pandemics. And participation agreements for research biobanks should be revised to make biobanks more efficient in working towards improving health.

Council comments on Renewable Energy Directive proposals

29 November 2011

The EC Renewable Energy Directive (RED), adopted in April 2009, requires that 10 percent of transport fuel comes from renewable sources by 2020. The UK Government proposes to implement the transport elements of the RED by amending in December 2011 the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO), which sets biofuels targets up to April 2013.

New Working Party on novel neurotechnologies

18 November 2011

The Council has set up a new Working Party to consider the ethical issues raised by novel neurotechnologies that intervene in the brain such as deep brain stimulation, brain-computer interfaces and neuron replacement therapy.

This project aims to identify and explore the key ethical issues that are relevant to technologies at the early stages of translation from the laboratory to practical use.

Northern Ireland dementia strategy echoes Council conclusions

10 November 2011

The Northern Ireland Executive has published a new strategy for improving dementia services in the region, echoing many of the conclusions made in the Nuffield Council’s 2009 report Dementia: ethical issues.

HFEA approves increased compensation for egg and sperm donors

19 October 2011

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority today decided that women who donate their eggs for others’ treatment should be compensated £750 per cycle, and that sperm donors should be compensated £35 per clinic visit.

Council seeks new Chair

18 October 2011

The Trustees of the Nuffield Foundation are seeking to appoint a Chair of the Nuffield Council on Bioethics, to succeed Professor Albert Weale, who retires in 2012.

Ethics body suggests NHS pays for funerals of organ donors

Press Release

10 October 2011

The NHS should test the idea of paying for the funerals of organ donors to help tackle the current shortage of organs, says a new report by the Nuffield Council on Bioethics. The Council suggests that this would be an ethical way of encouraging more people to sign the Organ Donor Register. Under such a scheme, funeral expenses would be offered if someone who has signed the Organ Donor Register dies in circumstances where their organs can be donated to others.