Assisted Dying Bill [HL]

Oh!

Please let me finish what I wish to say. This is a Committee Stage of a Bill and it is very impor...

My Lords, I am simply trying to answer the question as succinctly and honestly as I can and not t...

My Lords, this issue is for me very personal. I have deep sympathy with those who are standing ou...

My Lords, I declare an interest as the chairman of Hospice UK, formerly Help the Hospices, which ...

I merely wish to ask whether the noble Lord is aware that Clause 3(4) requires both doctors to be...

I am so aware but I would prefer that investigation to be carried out by the court. That is the i...

My Lords, as a doctor, I would also much prefer a judicial process. I had the good fortune yester...

My Lords, I will stick to the amendment. I told the noble Lord, Lord Pannick, a few days ago that...

My Lords, I hope we will not be called upon to vote on either amendment but very much hope that t...

My Lords, I will speak very briefly. I intended to preserve my first intervention for an amendmen...

My Lords, I totally agree with what the noble and gallant Lord has just said. I come from a medic...

My Lords, I support very strongly what the noble Baroness, Lady Cumberlege, has just said about t...

My Lords, I will probably make the shortest speech that I have made in this House, and your Lords...

My Lords—

My Lords, I speak from a position in which I must declare an interest, although it is a surprisin...

My Lords, I was delighted to give way to the noble Lord, Lord Deben, because I agree with so much...

My Lords, it is not for the Opposition Front Bench to state an official view as to what action sh...

My Lords, I congratulate the noble and learned Lord, Lord Falconer, on steering his Bill to a sta...

My Lords, I express my gratitude to everybody who has contributed to this short debate. It has be...

My Lords, it has been a valuable and informed debate on the most profound moral issues. Like the ...

I am grateful to the noble Lord. I am one of those who was against the Bill, but I am being persu...

I am grateful to the noble Lord, but my position is exactly the same as that of the noble and lea...

Does the noble Lord not think on reflection that Report stage on a Bill of this kind is an extrem...

Of course I reflect on what the noble Lord says, not least because I have great admiration and re...

There are some issues that need to be further clarified. The noble Lord, Lord Carlile, has a whol...

I had intended to make a short observation but the intervention came from the opposite Front Benc...

I very strongly support the noble and learned Lord, Lord Mackay of Clashfern. I actually think th...

What can possibly be lost by having further conversation and discussion? If the amendment is put ...

I am grateful to all noble Lords who have put to me pleas, begging—or however it is put—and I do ...

I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Pannick, for giving way. We have had a wide-ranging discuss...

I am not suggesting for a moment that anyone has proposed wrecking amendments, but I certainly do...

Moved by

Lord Carlile of Berriew

3: Clause 1, page 1, line 2, leave out “request and ...

My Lords, we come to a group of amendments, starting with Amendment 3, which stand in my name and...

My Lords, please could those leaving the Chamber do so quietly, as we have moved on to the second...

My Lords, I was about to say that I applaud the way in which the noble and learned Lord, Lord Fal...

I am grateful to the noble Lord for giving way. How long does he think that the whole of this pro...

I do not know whether the noble Lord was here during the last debate—I apologise if he was—but I ...

If the noble Lord will allow me, why does he make the provision of an independent medical examine...

I am grateful to the noble Lord, who has great experience in law, for asking that question. It is...

My Lords, I stated earlier that I saw merit in the amendments tabled by the noble Lord, Lord Carl...

My Lords, the noble Baroness has just said something that has totally appalled me: that in these ...

I will certainly try to explain. The data come from the Oregon Health Authority’s own reports, wh...

I return to the point raised by my noble friend Lord Jopling about 41 hours. Does the noble Baron...

I thank the noble Baroness for her intervention. She has made a very important point. You would b...

I would like to add something to what the noble Baroness, Lady Cumberlege, said. In case of perma...

I shall tell the noble Lord, Lord Jopling, about the death penalty in America where the lethal dr...

My Lords, I have my name down in support of the amendment tabled by the noble Lord, Lord Carlile....

My Lords, I do not believe that hard cases make bad law. I have always thought that that is one o...

May I ask the noble Lord, Lord Carlile, about the declaration in Amendment 172? I have no difficu...

The intention is to reduce the period. That does appear in other amendments.

My Lords, my name is attached to Amendment 67. At Second Reading I made it clear that my principa...

My Lords, I will briefly pick up on a few points that my noble friend Lady Finlay of Llandaff rai...

My Lords, I will make three points, which are important at this stage of the debate.

First,...

My Lords, there seems to be developing some suggestion that people opposed to the Bill are introd...

I am grateful to the noble Lord for giving way, but I must intervene on him. I said nothing desig...

Would the noble Lord accept the premise that we are trying to provide the evidence based on what ...

My Lords, I wish to speak on Amendment 67 in the name of the noble Lord, Lord Carlile, but, befor...

My Lords, I echo very strongly the remarks made by the noble Lord, Lord Empey, about the special ...

My Lords, I very much agree with the sentiments expressed by the noble Lord, Lord Alton, and I ag...

My Lords, as I have listened, my mind has turned to the practice of those who may be seriously il...

Will the noble Lord accept—perhaps he will not—the proposition that there is a distinct differenc...

My Lords, I entirely agree with the noble and gallant Lord. I think there is a distinct differenc...

My Lords, it might be helpful to the House if I intervene very briefly. The whole policy of cardi...

I think, my Lords, it does. It is a matter of whether it is a positive or a passive intervention....

My Lords, from day one, I was minded not to support the Assisted Dying Bill and made my views kno...

My Lords, perhaps I may ask the noble Lord, Lord Carlile, a couple of questions. On his Amendment...

I am very glad to answer the noble Lord’s two questions. To the first, there is a very straightfo...

This has been another useful and well informed debate, following on from the first group. I do no...

I understood that. I do not think that the noble Lord, Lord Faulks, suggested anything to the con...

My Lords, first, I am grateful to all noble Lords who have participated in what I think has been ...

I must advise the Committee that if Amendment 4 is agreed, I shall be unable to call Amendments 7...

Moved by

Lord Pannick

4: Clause 1, page 1, line 4, leave out subsection (2) and inser...

Moved by

Lord Carlile of Berriew

5: Clause 1, page 1, line 4, leave out subsection (2...

My Lords, in speaking to this group of amendments, I propose to short-circuit a number of them an...

My Lords, why is it thought wrong for someone to ask to die out of a sense of duty or a wish not ...

People with much less strength of character than the noble Baroness, who is known for her views a...

My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lord for giving way.

My Lords, I think it is usual not to intervene before the noble Lord has moved the amendment.

I believe that I moved the amendment right at the beginning of my speech, so I am very happy to g...

I am grateful to the noble Lord. I was aware that he had moved the amendment. On the point about ...

I agree with the noble Lord. Indeed, there is a very slippery slope from saying, “I feel an oblig...

Before the noble Lord sits down, for the third time he has referred to a person ending the life o...

I do not concede that for one moment. The purpose of the Bill is for a person to be put in the po...

I must advise the Committee that if Amendment 5 is agreed to, it is not possible to call Amendmen...

Moved by

Lord Mawhinney

6: Clause 1, line 13, at end insert—

“(iii) has made a ...

My Lords, I was interested to note, subsequent to putting down this amendment, that it covers sim...

I just want to point out that the individual concerned has the right to revoke the decision right...

I am aware of the point that the noble Lord makes. On the other hand, I have a lingering concern ...

My Lords, on Amendment 65, on capacity, it is hard to imagine how anybody who has just been told ...

My Lords, I will speak to Amendments 66 and 84, since I understand that I cannot speak to Amendme...

Perhaps the noble and learned Baroness can help me with that question of capacity. There are some...

If I may be anecdotal, as other noble Lords have been, my mother died of multiple sclerosis in he...

I thank the noble and learned Baroness for giving way, but would she not agree that sometimes peo...

Yes, that seems to me to present one of the problems with the Bill.

My Lords, may I offer something at this stage? The ground has been well worked in the past and I ...

My Lords, I have wondered at what stage I should intervene in this debate in so far as I am not a...

My Lords, I have two amendments in this group which I wish to discuss briefly. I should say that ...

My Lords—

Can I just finish my points? Essentially, of course the capacity issue is one that doctors deal w...

I am grateful to the noble Baroness, because she has launched herself off into dealing with an ar...

I am happy to apologise to the noble Lord, Lord Tebbit. Of course people change in their capacity...

My Lords, technically speaking this is a debate on Amendment 6, which was moved by the noble Lord...

My Lords, I believe we are debating the whole of the group, although I do agree with the noble Lo...

My Lords, I did not intend to speak on this group of amendments, but two interventions lead me to...

I am grateful to my noble friend for giving way. Would he be willing to accept that there is a di...

First, I agree with the distinction. Secondly, the criticism that I made was not of my noble frie...

My Lords, I support Amendment 71 in the name of my noble friend Lady Hollins. As in the case of t...

My Lords, I speak in favour of the amendment tabled by my noble friend Lady Hollins. I felt, comi...

My Lords, I have put my name to Amendment 66 because, as I said at Second Reading, I am concerned...

I support the noble Baroness, Lady Hollins, on her Amendment 71. Given the gravity of the decisio...

My Lords, I am reluctant to interrupt the noble Lord, but the noble Lord will see the time.

I am sorry; I did not hear what the noble Lord said.

I suggested that he look at the Clock.

I have only a very short while to go.

I have no problem with codes of practice and I would ...

My Lords, I support Amendment 65 and Amendment 71 in the name of my noble friend Lady Hollins. I ...

Does the noble Lord prefer the situation that exists at present, in which several hundred unassis...

The noble Lord is right—and every one of those deaths is a tragedy. That is why I said that we ha...

My Lords, can we have some clarity about the length of speeches? Several speakers have been inter...

The noble Lord is correct.

My Lords, I sense that the House would like to make some progress. I will put a simple point to t...

My Lords, it is a fundamental principle of the Bill before us that a person seeking assistance to...

I am obliged to everyone who has taken part in this important debate. Capacity is central to the ...

My Lords, while reserving the right to return to this subject on Report, for now I beg leave to w...

As Amendment 4 has been agreed, Amendments 7 to 11 cannot be moved, due to pre-emption.

Moved by

Lord McColl of Dulwich

12: Clause 1, page 1, line 10, at end insert—

“...

My Lords, my first concern about the Bill is the risk that has been already mentioned —that one m...

My Lords, I rise to speak in favour of Amendment 12, which was tabled by the noble Lord, Lord McC...

My Lords, I wish to raise a point for clarification. Amendment 12 states:

“No registered me...

My Lords, I rise also to point out what seems to be a flaw in the drafting of the second proposed...

My Lords, there are clearly deficiencies in the drafting but my noble friend Lord McColl made it ...

My Lords, I endorse the points that have just been made. There may be some flaws in the drafting ...

My Lords, the noble Baroness, Lady O’Cathain, raised a question that has exposed drafting flaws i...

My Lords, perhaps I might I try to short-circuit this. I am broadly in favour of having something...

My Lords, a doctor very explicitly suggesting to somebody that they end their life is one thing. ...

My Lords, the noble Baroness spoke about the young man who was operated on misguidedly by the sur...

I wonder whether the noble and learned Lord, Lord Falconer, was referring to the first part as we...

I was referring to both. Clause 1 says the applicant has to initiate it, but I want it to cover b...

My Lords, I may not be the only one who is a bit confused about what is happening. I stand to spe...

My Lords, I support Amendment 77, to which I have added my name. I am sure that many noble Lords ...

My Lords, I congratulate the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Bristol on focusing on the amen...

My Lords, I thank noble Lords very much for their contribution and for pointing out the errors in...

My Lords, before we proceed any further—

My Lords, noble Lords will have seen an unusual amount of toing and froing, as there has been a c...

My Lords, given the advice of the noble Lord, Lord Newby, I will take the Committee to the argume...

My Lords, with the leave of the Committee and with the agreement of my noble and learned friend L...

I shall speak briefly to my Amendment 8 which would ensure that any request for assistance is vol...

My Lords, I added my name to the amendments in the name of the noble and right reverend Lord, Lor...

I wonder whether the noble Lord has ever looked at the Macmillan Cancer Support site, on which th...

I will certainly look at that site, but I wish I could be as confident as the noble Lord is on th...

My Lords, my Amendment 7 is a very simple one which deals with an issue that might arise as a res...

My Lords, I find this procedure extremely confusing. I realise that when a complex amendment is p...

My Lords, I will speak to Clause 1, and in particular to the concern about young people aged from...

My Lords, my Amendment 10, which was superseded, accords with the amendment moved by my noble fri...

My Lords, I follow my noble and learned friend Lord Mackay. I was thinking along similar lines on...

My Lords, I support the observations made by my noble friend Lord Cavendish, with respect to Amen...

I will be very brief. It is admirable how the House has coped with what appears to be slightly co...

My Lords, I apologise, but I would like to speak briefly because I had six amendments that droppe...

No.

If I can just explain—those amendments that are part of the groups that the pre-empted amendments...

I apologise; I did not express myself very well. I thank the noble Lord for that clarification. I...

My Lords, this last group has engendered a wide-ranging debate which has called for considerable ...

The last half hour has been a remarkably focused debate on a series of amendments. I wish to go t...

The noble and learned Lord seems to agree with my point and speaks as though it would automatical...

My reason for not putting that in the Bill is that so many cases are much more complex than the s...

Will my noble and learned friend say a word or two about how he envisages that the judge or the d...

They must conduct in-depth discussions with the patient and the other doctors. The judge must cal...