Speeches by Francis.

“The one thing that covid taught me was what my hon. Friend is alluding to. Hon. Members heard yesterday a bit about my family situation. I have a child who will never walk, will always be in nappies, will always need to be fed, and will always need to be dressed. During that period, no carer was allowed in the house, a…”

“From what I understand from the promoter of the Bill, the argument is that we should put these measures in place to protect from coercion people who have less than six months to live, but we would not put those protections in place for people who have nine or 12 months to live. If we are putting the measures in place f…”

“The Mental Capacity Act is written to enable people to carry out day-to-day scenarios, such as buying a coffee or doing their banking, so that they are not challenged in every transaction in their life. It is therefore a very low bar to be deemed to have capacity. Does the hon. Member believe that it was written for th…”

“To go back to the point I made this morning—I am happy to stand corrected, but nobody has disputed it—two issues continue to concern me in relation to the Mental Capacity Act and the code of conduct. The first is that the doctor would have a choice, under chapter 5 of the guidance, as to whether it is practical and app…”

“The NHS South East London integrated care board provides services to my constituents, and I have discussed some ways in which we could better deliver services by redeveloping the Erith community hospital site in Northumberland Heath. Is the Minister able to provide an outline of the Government’s plan to provide capital…”

“I absolutely accept what my hon. Friend says about training. I know we have separately discussed places in the Bill where we could replace the word “may” for “must” to make the safeguards stronger. However, I come back to the same points as I made to the Minister. The Mental Capacity Act code of practice, which I presu…”

“As I say, I am not an expert on this matter from a legal or medical background, but those are the concerns that have driven me to the place that I am in. Dan Scorer, from Mencap—as my hon. Friend the Member for Spen Valley knows, I was adamant that Mencap would give evidence to us—said: “building on the previous questi…”

“I welcome that commitment and look forward to that discussion in due course. Dr Hussain went on to say: “Ultimately, I do not think the Mental Capacity Act and safeguarding training are fit for purpose.”––[Official Report, Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Public Bill Committee, 29 January 2025; c. 199, Q260.] Profes…”

“I am hearing that that amendment will need some rewording, but it would address some of my concerns. I am working with Mencap, and further amendments will be tabled to later clauses of the Bill. I understand that one of our colleagues has also tabled amendments, which I welcome. However, I would still have concerns abo…”

“I thank the Member in charge for her comments. That is the conversation we had when she invited me to join the Committee, and we will continue to have conversations as amendments come forward. My concern is about some aspects of the Mental Capacity Act, which was not written for these scenarios, and the hon. Member for…”

“My hon. Friend the Member for Penistone and Stocksbridge knows I am an ally on many of these issues, but I will humbly disagree with her on some matters. I am not a lawyer or a doctor, but like many people here I speak from lived experience. I speak as the parent of a learning-disabled child, so I see the kinds of deci…”

“On a point of order, Ms McVey. Yesterday, members of the Committee received notification that, in the last week, we have received a further 242 pieces of written evidence and 159 pieces of correspondence. Last week, I had read every word of the original 110 pieces of written evidence and 56 pieces of correspondence, as…”

“Q My question is to Dan Scorer. In the Mental Capacity Act 2005, the definition of “capacity” means that many people with a learning disability are presumed to have capacity. We have heard comments from others on the panel, and I am trying to understand whether you feel that the existing provisions in that Act would co…”

“On a point of order, Mrs Harris. Yesterday, we heard evidence about the impact of the Bill on different groups with protected characteristics, including age, disability, race and sexual orientation. We heard from the EHRC, an arm’s length body of the Government, that it strongly recommends that a full impact assessment…”

“Thank you, Professor Preston. Sorry—if you agree, Mrs Harris.”

“Q My question is to Claire Williams and follows on from Dr Opher’s question. Clause 18(9) says that once the person has self-administered the approved substance, the doctor must stay with them until they have died, or until it has been determined by the co-ordinating doctor that the procedure has failed. We know from o…”

“The Chair may cut you off, but I am happy for you to continue if she allows it.”

“Q To elaborate on that point, Professor Owen, the Mental Capacity Act 2005 sets out the principles that a person must be assumed to have capacity, that a person cannot be treated as lacking capacity unless all practicable steps have been taken to support them and that a person cannot be treated as lacking capacity mere…”

“Q I want to ask about capacity. Chloe, I think you said patients are sometimes given the drug some time before they die, so I want to understand where capacity assessments are taken and at what stage during the process. Dr Furst: Capacity assessments are taken every time a doctor sees the patient. In my state, that wou…”

“Q Ms Hadi, we heard evidence this morning that the majority of disabled people support the Bill. I would like to hear your comments on that. What analysis do you have on whether the majority of disabled people support the Bill? Baroness Falkner, based on what we have just heard, if we had had the equality impact assess…”