Speeches by Olney.

“Are you saying, then, that you had this clear 10-year strategy for reducing drug use and you have not had that for violence against women and girls, and that is why you have not been able to replicate this structure?”

“What was successful about the illegal drugs strategy was having a Home Office-led team with staff from other Departments seconded into it, which is a different approach to the approach that you have used with your violence against women and girls strategy. Why was it different when it came to approaching violence again…”

“In terms of your sense of satisfaction, as I said, does it trouble you how much rape and sexual assault has gone up in the last 10 years?”

“The point is that they may take the opportunity to use the further provision that exists for people whose death is expected within one month.”

“I will.”

“The point is that we want to preclude the possibility, at whatever stage it might happen, that somebody could deliberately render themselves terminally ill by the voluntary stoppage of eating—”

“I seek clarification. As drafted, in clause 12(1)(c), the High Court would give “a declaration that the requirements of this Act have been met”, but in new clause 21(6)(a), the panel is required to issue a certificate of eligibility, to which the Minister just referred. I seek the Minister’s guidance on whether it is t…”

“My original question was more about whether it has the same legal force as a High Court direction.”

“I am trying to clarify this for my own benefit, because I am not familiar with some of these procedures. Is there a difference between a High Court judge leading an inquiry or sitting on a panel, using their legal experience to provide advice or recommendations or give an opinion, and having a judge sitting in the High…”

“I beg to move amendment 457, in clause 13, page 9, line 17, after “made,” insert “and have not voluntarily stopped eating and drinking”.”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Roger. I have tabled the amendment to exclude the possibility that somebody could render themselves, if that is the appropriate language, terminally ill by the mechanism of voluntarily stopping eating and drinking. The Bill before us is based on the principle that …”

“To pick up on what the hon. Member for Spen Valley said, the multidisciplinary panel comes at the very end of the process. She has talked about the different stages, but they all occur in isolation. There is a doctor, then there is another doctor, and then there might be a psychiatric referral. We heard clearly in oral…”

“I am just reflecting on the right hon. Member for North West Hampshire’s intervention. Does the hon. Gentleman not agree that the purpose either of the panel or the High Court judge is to establish beyond all doubt that if a person is assisted in their death, no crime is being committed, and that in order to establish …”

“I take the point, but I still think it is necessary to have this additional safeguard to close a loophole that means that people could render themselves terminally ill within the space of a month and use the opportunity presented by the additional provision in the Bill for reducing the 14-day waiting period. This is a …”

“I am grateful for amendment 6 and to my hon. Friend the Member for St Albans for tabling it. I put on record, however, that I do not think that the panel that we are discussing addresses my earlier concerns. I wanted to make that absolutely clear by highlighting the further evidence from the Association for Palliative …”

“The hon. Member is exactly right. An assessment of whether somebody should qualify for assisted dying needs to be based on objective criteria. If those are not met, the only way that a second independent doctor should have a role is if either the circumstances have changed or, for whatever reason, the first doctor is u…”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Roger. I will speak to my amendments 458 to 460, which would tighten the process around seeking a determination from a second independent doctor if the first has refused to say that the criteria are met. The amendments relate to clause 10, which I will say more abo…”

“I beg to ask leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. Amendment made: 206, in clause 11, page 7, line 24, leave out subsection (3).—(Kim Leadbeater.) See the statement for Amendment 188. Clause 11, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Bill.”

“Will the hon. Gentleman give way?”

“I reiterate the concern I raised when speaking to my amendments this morning: as far as I can see, seeking the second opinion of a second independent doctor allows the person seeking assisted suicide to have a second bite at the cherry if their first independent doctor has not granted permission. I do not think anyone …”