The Medical Council guidelines in Ireland prohibit this type of research, although it must be noted it is meeting now in private to reconsider the guidelines, which has to ring alarm bells in all of us. Why has the Legislature not received the report of the commission on assisted reproduction? Why is there not a Green Paper? While in general welcoming the allocation of €16 billion for EU research activities for 2003-06, especially as regards information society technologies, food quality and safety, sustainable development, global change and ecosystems, some of the proposals awaiting decision by the Council of Ministers give rise to serious concern. If this proposal were agreed, all EU states would fund research on supernumerary embryos. These are embryos which were intended for implantation, but are no longer required for that purpose. This raises constitutional, legal, ethical, moral, administrative and other issues. Once again I ask the Tánaiste why this matter has not been laid before the Dáil and fully discussed.