Contributions
45 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDTerminally Ill Adults (End of Life) BillLong speeches are unpopular at the best of times, but particularly as I now stand between noble Lords and lunch, so I will try not to make one. It has been a very useful group. We…27 Feb 2026HANSARDTerminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill27 Feb 2026HANSARDTerminally Ill Adults (End of Life) BillI want to make two very brief points. First, I support the point made about proposed new subsection (6)(g), to be inserted by Amendment 115, by the noble Viscount, Lord Colville,…06 Feb 2026HANSARDTerminally Ill Adults (End of Life) BillI would never come at the noble and learned Lord, for whom I have the greatest respect. We de facto have to make changes to the Mental Capacity Act in the application of this,…06 Feb 2026HANSARDChildren’s Wellbeing and Schools BillMy Lords, I want to speak to this amendment for two reasons. One is that my name is on it. The second is for nostalgic purposes, because the first time I spoke in this House was…03 Feb 2026HANSARDChildren’s Wellbeing and Schools BillI will be brief, given the time. I will talk about only two things and try to keep noble Lords awake with them: academic passion and the gut microbiome. That will keep noble Lords…03 Feb 2026HANSARDTerminally Ill Adults (End of Life) BillMy Lords, we know that people may have many of the problems that proponents of the Bill have described as reasonable justifications for why someone may want to end their life.…23 Jan 2026HANSARDTerminally Ill Adults (End of Life) BillMay I just correct something? The noble and learned Lord said that I wanted it to be only things that doctors can measure. It is not so much about things that doctors can measure.…23 Jan 2026HANSARDTerminally Ill Adults (End of Life) BillThe GMC guidance would need to be amended because, at present, there is specific advice on guidance around supporting patients at end of life. It says: “Where patients raise the…23 Jan 2026HANSARDChildren’s Wellbeing and Schools BillMy Lords, I was not intending to speak to the amendment, but I also met Ceri this week, and it was a privilege to talk to him. I had not heard that part of his story until my…21 Jan 2026HANSARDChildren’s Wellbeing and Schools BillMy Lords, I have added my name to the amendments in the names of the noble Baroness, Lady Penn, and the noble Lord, Lord Nash. When I was president of the paediatric college, an…21 Jan 2026HANSARDTerminally Ill Adults (End of Life) BillMy Lords, I agree with everyone who has said that we must ask the question: what is the motivation for that individual? I submit that, unless a doctor can ask that question, they…16 Jan 2026HANSARDTerminally Ill Adults (End of Life) BillMy Lords, I will be brief, because many of the points have been made, but I would really like to make two points. My first point follows the comments of the noble Baroness, Lady…09 Jan 2026HANSARDAI Systems: RisksMy Lords, like others, I thank the noble Lord, Lord Fairfax. I agree with almost everything he said, bar one aspect that I think was optimistic, which is that we have a five-year…08 Jan 2026HANSARDPuberty Suppressants TrialMy Lords, we are faced with a situation where, for 15 years, clinicians in this country have told children and young people that these medications are safe, fully reversible and…18 Dec 2025HANSARDTerminally Ill Adults (End of Life) BillMy Lords, as Sarah-Jayne Blakemore has been widely referred to, it might be useful to directly quote her. She said: “Most of these age cutoffs have not been based on what we know…05 Dec 2025HANSARDTerminally Ill Adults (End of Life) BillMy Lords—21 Nov 2025HANSARDTerminally Ill Adults (End of Life) BillRegardless of the amount of scrutiny, there are absolute conflicts between intent and delivery. The reason there cannot be trust in how we deliver this in real life is the very…21 Nov 2025HANSARDTerminally Ill Adults (End of Life) BillMy Lords, I declare my interests as trustee of a children’s hospice. I also talk as a retired doctor with experience of looking after terminally ill adults and children. However,…14 Nov 2025HANSARDTerminally Ill Adults (End of Life) BillMy Lords, like others, I thank the many people on both sides of the debate who have written to me to share their views and deeply personal stories. For the sake of transparency, I…12 Sept 2025