Speeches by Hopkins.

“I respect that. I have been very clear about my beliefs, but I know people who share my beliefs and do not support assisted dying, and vice versa; I have friends who are religious and do support assisted dying. Again, we cannot make assumptions about people’s protected characteristics.”

“The hon. Member is referring to the genuine occupational requirement, but I go back to my point: which protected characteristic is she talking about? Support for assisted dying is not a protected characteristic. I am intrigued to know how that would operate in practice.”

“I am conscious of the Chair’s comments, so I am going to proceed, because I want to make a final point about new clause 23. I am sympathetic to its principles, as I recognise that some institutions may not want to provide assistance. This new clause, however, relates solely to no detriment for care homes or hospices fo…”

“I thank the hon. Member for Reigate for her intervention. In the light of her comments, it seems the amendment may be trying to put on the face of the Bill some nuances that should be picked up through employment law. I understand the principle of what she is trying to achieve, but there are protections in those areas.”

“I appreciate the interventions, because we are trying to get the best clarity we can for dying people. Are we debating the other amendments in this group, Mr Dowd?”

“I thank the hon. Lady for her response, but I think it made my point: I interpreted it slightly differently from the way the hon. Lady intended. I would welcome some clarity on that from the Ministers and lawyers in the room. Similarly, I was interested in the point regarding the genuine “occupational requirements”, an…”

“Okay. I will carry on. Some of the amendments were tabled by the hon. Member for Reigate, and I want to speak to amendment 481, which is of a similar ilk. There is no obligation on an employer to provide assistance, and we are all absolutely bought into that, so that is not a bad thing. Amendment 481 would avoid preven…”

“I—”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Dowd. I am very sympathetic to the views put forward by my hon. Friend the Member for Spen Valley about people being able to conscientiously object in principle, but the way amendment 480 is written is difficult. For me, it is about the word “indirectly”. That could le…”

“rose—”

“This Sunday marks Disabled Access Day and the importance of accessibility and inclusiveness for all. Sadly, disabled people in Luton South and South Bedfordshire cannot access Luton station because of the delays and failures of Network Rail in progressing the Access for All programme and installing lifts at Luton stati…”

“Oh no—that’s yours!”

“Indeed: subjective, as the right hon. Gentleman said. That is the point that I am trying to get at. There is an objective assessment, which is wholly appropriate, but a subjective assessment would lead down a different route and muddy the objective assessment.”

“The point I was making was that no professional would want to risk their professional accreditation and career by allowing a complete bias to take over any decision making. In fact, I would suggest that some may want to prove their integrity by being involved in these decisions and making them in line with their profes…”

“rose—”

“I thank my hon. Friend for discussing her view of the approach of the proposed panel members. Does she recognise that all three of those professions have professional requirements to act with integrity and in accordance with the law? It is highly unlikely that they will push forward, as she seems to suggest, and risk t…”

“The Bill already sets out a number of things that a doctor has to assure themselves of, with regard to coercion and capacity. They would do that having had a significant amount of training to establish, in the round, after consulting others, that one way or another the legal requirements have been met. The “Why?” quest…”

“Will my hon. Friend give way?”

“I am grateful to my hon. Friend for reiterating those points. Does she accept that it is a patient’s right to say, “It’s none of your business” in the course of the conversation?”

“I will continue, if I may. I turn to amendments 422 and 423. The importance of a rounded, holistic assessment and discussion with the patient has been pointed out in many of our discussions, as has the importance of the multidisciplinary team and the other health and care professionals who support the patient with heal…”