Speeches by Leadbeater.

“I will speak briefly to this clause, because some of what I say will be covered in our debate on other clauses. The title of the clause is “Review of this Act”, so it is important to be clear about what we are reviewing. I am sure members of the Committee agree that it is the operation of the Act that needs to be consi…”

“Amendments 491 and 492 would expand the scope of the report that the Secretary of State must prepare at the end of the initial five-year period to include an assessment of the availability, quality and distribution of appropriate services by including care services and end-of-life care. It is not clear what “care servi…”

“I will speak to my new clause 40 and my amendment 546. The purpose of new clause 40 is to establish a requirement for regular reports on the implementation of the Act until all its provisions are fully implemented. This will ensure continuous oversight and transparency regarding the progress of the Act’s implementation…”

“That would be my understanding as well, but I am not a lawyer. Fortunately, a lawyer just tried to intervene on me, so he might want to step in.”

“Thank you, Chair.”

“I thank my hon. Friend for that. Unless the Minister has anything to add on injunctions—”

“Thank you, Chair, and apologies. I thank the Minister for the intervention and I think she did make the point that needed to be made.”

“Thank you for stepping into the breach this morning, Ms McVey. Clause 23 provides that there will be no obligation on medical practitioners and health professionals to provide assistance as set out in the assisted dying process. We know doctors and other health professionals hold a variety of views on assisted dying. A…”

“The hon. Gentleman makes a good point, and I am aware of the Minister’s comments. This will be part of the discussion as we take it forward. That is why this debate is really powerful. In their written evidence, the trustees at Willow Burn hospice, based in the UK, told us: “Our Mission is to deliver hospice care of th…”

“The right hon. Gentleman makes an important point. The word that we have used a lot—maybe not enough in some respects—is choice. That is important for individuals, but it is important for institutions as well. Putting an institutional opt-out in the Bill would risk creating confusion and distress for patients and their…”

“The hon. Lady is absolutely right to acknowledge the wonderful workforce working in end of life care, but there is a range of views within that workforce and there is the individual opt-out. No one has to be involved in this process if they do not want to be. That is clear in the Bill as it stands. I hope that, working…”

“It is a good point. My understanding—the Minister might correct me—is that pharmacists currently are within the definition of health professionals, but if they are not, that is an important point, which would be covered by making the change to ensure that no one is under any duty. However, I will definitely check that.…”

“I beg to move amendment 501, in clause 25, page 15, line 31, leave out subsection (1) and insert— “(1) The doing of any of the following does not, of itself, give rise to any civil liability— (a) providing assistance to a person to end their own life in accordance with this Act; (b) performing any other function under …”

“I beg to move amendment 504, in clause 24, page 15, line 11, leave out from second “of” to end of line 12 and insert “— (a) providing assistance to a person to end their own life in accordance with this Act, or performing any other function under this Act in accordance with this Act, or (b) assisting a person seeking t…”

“These amendments relate to criminal liability under the Bill. They get to the heart of why the legislation is needed. Amendment 504 seeks to clarify the language of clause 24 and provide reassurance that it will not be considered an offence to perform a function under the provisions of the Bill or to assist a person se…”

“I have nothing further to add. Amendment 504 agreed to. Amendment made: 505, in clause 24, page 15, leave out lines 22 and 23 and insert “— (a) providing assistance to a person to end their own life in accordance with the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Act 2025, or performing any other function under that Act in a…”

“The amendments ensure that the exclusion from civil liability applies in relation to persons performing functions under the Bill and persons assisting a person seeking to end their own life in connection with the doing of things under the Bill. Importantly, they also rightly exempt from the exclusion from civil liabili…”

“I will speak briefly on this issue. An important point was made by my hon. Friend the Member for Rother Valley about the protections that clause 25 and these amendments provide for medical practitioners. I think the clause strikes the right balance, but it is important to remove the blanket immunity. My hon. Friend ref…”

“I beg to move amendment 506, in clause 26, page 16, line 7, leave out “in accordance with” and insert “under”. This amendment provides that the offence under subsection (2) applies in relation to an approved substance provided under the Bill.”

“These amendments to clause 26—and clause 27 to some degree, which I will come on to shortly—are intended to clarify offences under the law. The changes refine the language to ensure that offences relating to dishonesty, coercion and pressure are more clearly defined. The amendments serve to clarify the details of four …”