Contributions
781 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDTerminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Eighth sitting)I am sorry that it has taken me a while to find the relevant provision of the Bill. The discussion on the advance directive is a really interesting one, and I am glad that we are…11 Feb 2025HANSARDTerminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Eighth sitting)That is not quite accurate. I think we did have other witnesses who absolutely said that they had confidence in the Mental Capacity Act, and I will speak about them in this debate.11 Feb 2025HANSARDTerminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Eighth sitting)Absolutely, Ms McVey—thank you for allowing me to make some introductory comments. Amendments 178 to 180, 182 and 193 simply clarify that only persons in England and Wales may be…11 Feb 2025HANSARDTerminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Eighth sitting)Thank you, Ms McVey. I hope and believe that the Committee will take the same considered, respectful approach that we have taken previously. We have been asked by the House to…11 Feb 2025HANSARDTerminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Eighth sitting)I do acknowledge that point—absolutely, as I have acknowledged, the role of a High Court judge is really important in this process. That role will remain with the amendment I have…11 Feb 2025HANSARDTerminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Eighth sitting)It is a great pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms McVey, in this very important stage in the consideration and detailed scrutiny of the Bill. We are discussing assisted…11 Feb 2025HANSARDTerminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Eighth sitting)I beg to move amendment 178, in clause 1, page 1, line 3, after “person” insert “in England or Wales”. This amendment provides that only persons in England or Wales may be…11 Feb 2025HANSARDTerminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Eighth sitting)Further to those points of order, Ms McVey. I take on board people’s comments. There’s no two ways about it; this is a considerable amount of work for members of the Bill…11 Feb 2025HANSARDTerminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Eighth sitting)I do struggle with that terminology. This is not assisted suicide by the state. The state is not involved. It is the person making an autonomous decision based on their choice at…11 Feb 2025HANSARDTerminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Eighth sitting)On that point about clause 9(3)(b), as I think was mentioned earlier, an amendment has been tabled by the hon. Member for St Albans (Daisy Cooper)—an amendment that I would…11 Feb 2025HANSARDTerminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Ninth sitting)To build on the point made by the right hon. Member for North West Hampshire, this is the heart of the issue. You are right that they are slightly different things.11 Feb 2025HANSARDTerminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Ninth sitting)Sorry, Sir Roger. The hon. Member is correct. It gets to the heart of whether we think this is the right thing to do. The Bill Committee’s job is to put that decision back to the…11 Feb 2025HANSARDTerminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Ninth sitting)On that point, it is not an either/or. It is not just about passing legislation that improves choice and gives autonomy and dignity to dying people, and indeed fixes the current…11 Feb 2025HANSARDTerminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Ninth sitting)In respect of those numbers, it is important to be really clear that the vast majority of those circumstances were in the Netherlands and in other jurisdictions that have a much…11 Feb 2025HANSARDTerminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Ninth sitting)I do not think that the hon. Member for Solihull West and Shirley is saying that this is about people with eating disorders or anorexia; he is asking about people who are…11 Feb 2025HANSARDTerminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Ninth sitting)I do. I take my hon. Friend’s comments on board and I will come to address them. As other colleagues have established, it would seem nonsensical to try to introduce a brand new…11 Feb 2025HANSARDTerminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Ninth sitting)I will try to keep my comments brief. It is excellent that we have had such a thorough debate on this particular issue, but I am also very conscious of time. I will do the quick…11 Feb 2025HANSARDTerminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Ninth sitting)Clause 1 is very specifically about the Mental Capacity Act, on which we should get a chance to vote this afternoon. Other amendments can be tabled ahead of Report, but the…11 Feb 2025HANSARDTerminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Ninth sitting)That is a point worth making, and something we will look at through the amendments that my hon. Friend has proposed. I am very happy to look at those, as I have already said, but…11 Feb 2025HANSARDTerminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Ninth sitting)At the moment, we are addressing the fitness for purpose of the Mental Capacity Act, but there are other amendments that will take on board some of my hon. Friend’s points,…11 Feb 2025