He also argued the scale of planning involved in providing a child for gay couples through donor insemination and surrogacy methods often makes them better parents than their heterosexual counterparts.

BBC: Gays 'have right to parenthood'

Those who favour change argue that children born as a result of donor insemination can be psychologically damaged by discovering in later life that they will never know their biological father.

BBC: Ministers reject sperm donor naming

The HFEA also wants any national strategy to cover not just the fertility treatments which it currently regulates, but also treatments such as donor insemination and fertility hormone injections which also contribute to twin and triplet births.

BBC: IVF (Hank Morgan/ Science Photo Library)