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"Health Care 2020", the report of the Healthcare Panel of the Government's Foresight Programme, includes a section on research, development and technology that focuses almost exclusively on genetics. The Panel, which includes representatives from the NHS, the Department of Health, research institutions, the pharmaceutical industry and health insurance providers, predicts that in the next 20 years both the availability and demand for genetic tests will increase, and that SNP-based personal "genetic profiles" that may predict susceptibility to common disease could become part of an individual's health record. With this in mind, the Panel recommends that the Government should "ensure that there are well-defined criteria for genetic testing and screening", and that "the genetic information it is feasible or desirable for an individual to have and retain should be clarified". Noting recent developments in the area of genetics and insurance, the Panel suggests that government and industry representatives should, together with geneticists and other stakeholders, attempt to predict the impact of possible advances in genetic "profiling" on the insurance industry and society. The Panel also thinks that Government should create a climate that will enable a continuing commitment to innovation in the healthcare industries, particularly by indicating clearly what sorts of products and services are likely to be acceptable, avoiding excessive bureaucracy, and providing an effective means for educating the public and ensuring that people understand and sympathise with the objectives of health care research and development. Alongside this facilitation would go an effective means of ethical scrutiny of new developments - one in which the public must have confidence.