Speeches by Paul.

“I am grateful to have the time to debate Government community funding and support for local pubs. We are fortunate to have so many amazing pubs in Reigate, Redhill, Banstead and our villages, and they are far more than just a place to have a pint. They are the heart and soul of our towns and villages, bringing people t…”

“The hon. Member makes me feel slightly less guilty for reeling off all the pubs in my constituency; now I am not alone in advertising all those amazing pubs. I absolutely encourage his constituents to vote in that competition, and to let him know what they love about their pubs. I will go back to the winners, as I know…”

“It is indeed impressive what the pub in the hon. Gentleman’s constituency is doing, and I completely agree that pubs are so much more than just places where we buy food and drink. Any of us that have pubs like those in our constituency are very fortunate. Going back to the Well House Inn, the amazing beer garden there …”

“I, too, would be interested in the Minister’s response to that question. I recently ran a campaign to find out which pubs were my constituents’ favourites, with the aim of reminding them of the pubs on their doorstep and the importance of supporting their local. The response has been phenomenal. It is clear that our pu…”

“Obviously I do not know the details of that specific case, but I agree that we all have a collective responsibility to look after these important community assets. Before I bring my comments to a close, I would like to pay tribute to some other fantastic pubs in my constituency. I have quite a lot of them.”

“I thank the hon. Gentleman for that intervention. Absolutely, those things apply to clubs and to any premises where we might listen to live music —they apply to so many places. I will focus on pubs, but I hope that we will have many other debates on all those other things. The Garibaldi has stood on Mill Street for 150…”

“I thank the hon. Lady for that contribution. I would welcome any clarity from the Minister about that. In Redhill, we have an amazing pub called the Garibaldi, which is a community pub—a not-for-profit pub—that gives back to the community in so many ways. On walking in, you feel the warmth straightaway from Shiv, Julie…”

“I agree with the hon. Member. It is really important that we support our pubs. We cannot continue the approach of squeezing them until the pips squeak. We will lose them, and once we do, we will never get them back.”

“I agree, and I will come to that point in more detail in the second half of my speech.”

“The key point is that we need to improve palliative care. We are spending so much time and effort focusing on this Bill rather than doing the thing that would actually help more people. My amendment 80, in combination with amendments 30 and 31 tabled by my hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Dr Spencer)…”

“I thank my right hon. Friend for making that point; he is absolutely right. I have tabled amendment 80, which would bring the Bill back to its original intentions. It would require that in order to be eligible for an assisted death, the pain and discomfort experienced or expected from a person’s terminal illness could …”

“My hon. Friend makes a good point, and I agree. In the interests of time, I will make some progress. The current situation, whereby fully funded palliative and end-of-life care is not available in certain postcodes, means that those unfortunate patients do not have a real choice. We know that 25% of people who die in t…”

“I will not because I do not have much time. I will move on to the lack of a best interests test in the Bill, which my new clause 16 seeks to remedy. Patient autonomy is of course important, but it must be balanced against what is in someone’s best interests. In certain situations, when it is in their best interests, tr…”

“The evidence is clear that palliative care does not get better when assisted dying is introduced; we heard that in the Bill Committee. We should absolutely look to address palliative care, because that will benefit more people. I will come to that point later in my speech, so I will not discuss it any further now. I do…”

“I wholeheartedly agree. There is much to discuss today and there is little time, so I will start at the beginning of the Bill, at the point at which the criteria for eligibility for an assisted death are set. It is there that important safeguards are needed to ensure that those who should never be eligible are excluded…”

“It is a privilege to speak in this place on such an important Bill. Having been part of the Committee that scrutinised it line by line, and, on some occasions, word by word, for several months earlier this year, it is a pleasure to see so many of my colleagues from Committee Room 10 present today—a reunion of sorts. I …”

“I apologise, but I do want to get through my speech. It is important to make the point that someone suffering with anorexia, or indeed any mental condition, is not intended to be eligible for an assisted death. However, in the case of anorexia there are physical manifestations of the illness, such as malnutrition and d…”

“I completely concur.”

“I am sorry, but I do not have much time and I wish to get through my points. How can we be happy with a process that does not exclude such reasons? Instead of providing the support that is actually needed, the state is content to put them on a pathway that leads to their death. I hope that the House will recognise that…”

“I would love to give way, but—”