If you don't have consent for storing these you are breaching the act

Hugh McCaughey Royal Group

Embryos are stored for future use in research, with some fertilised.

However, the law only allows an embryo to be kept for five years - unless there are exceptional circumstances.

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) said on Monday they had agreed a variation on the licence on the storage of embryos at the Royal.

They said this was done in response to a request from the hospital because they said they wanted to reduce their activity until they could put improved administrative processes in place.

However, the authority was unable to say when it last inspected the Royal.

Combination

Hugh McCaughey, director of organisational development at the Royal, said the centre had not obtained consent for samples kept for more than five years.

"If you don't have consent for storing these you are breaching the act and holding samples illegally," he said.

The HFEA, which regulates all UK fertility centres, first visited the Royal last summer.

Mr McCaughey said the breach had been caused by a combination of a systems failure and the extreme confidentiality arrangements at fertility centres.

There were two inspections of the Royal's facilities

However, he said: "There's no risk to these samples or to future fertility treatment.

"It's very much around administrative systems in the fertility centre which have broken down and breaches of the act around re-consent.

"These samples are all still viable. Embryos are still eligible for future use but we must make sure we have them legally held."