Introduction
1.These explanatory notes relate to the Human Tissue Act 2004 which received Royal Assent on 15 November 2004. They have been prepared by the Department of Health, in consultation with the National Assembly for Wales and the Northern Ireland Office, in order to assist the reader in their understanding of the Act. They do not form part of the Act and have not been endorsed by Parliament.
2.The explanatory notes need to be read in conjunction with the Act and are not meant to be a comprehensive description of the Act. So where a section or part of a section of the Act does not seem to require any explanation or comment, none is given.
3.The Act will extend to England, Wales and Northern Ireland, except for section 45 and Schedule 4 (non-consensual DNA-analysis), which will apply throughout the UK. Section 47 (power of museums to 'de-accession' human remains) will also extend, as a matter of law, to the whole of the UK, but will only apply to named museums in England.