Government announces stepping-down of HGC chair

The Department of Health has announced that Baroness Helena Kennedy has stepped down from her position as chair of the Human Genetics Commission (HGC).

Baroness Kennedy announced her retirement from the position she has held since the commission’s establishment in 1999 at a meeting of the HGC in Durham earlier this week.

The HGC is an advisory body to the government on progress made in the field human genetics, as well as the legal, ethical and social implications of these developments.

Following this announcement, existing vice-chair Sir John Sulston has agreed to head the commission until the appointment of a successor, while Sir John joins Dr Paul Debenham, Professor John Harris and Mr Michael Harrison in being reappointed to the HGC to guarantee stability in its work.

Ben Bradshaw, health minister, said: “Helena Kennedy’s leadership of the HGC in debates on issues ranging from genetic testing in employment, to the use of genetic information in insurance, to the national DNA database, has inspired public trust in the HGC’s independence whilst at the same time providing an authoritative and valued source of advice to government.”

Baroness Kennedy described the manner in which the HGC has engaged with the public and performed its role as a ground-breaking one that provides a model for the way in which public organisation should operate.

Earlier this week, the government invited NHS patients to participate in the UK Biobank public health initiative to uncover the interplay of environmental and genetic factors in a range of diseases.