Speeches by Kruger.

“I thank the hon. Lady. I worry a little about the magic powers of the training fairy, whom we frequently invoke to resolve all the anxieties. We are putting the resolution of difficult tensions on to future professionals and imagining that through training we can resolve all the difficult challenges. However, given the…”

“I am grateful, Mrs Harris. Earlier, I cited evidence about an exodus of care workers from the Australian care system. Members challenged me on that—fairly. I have been looking since, and I could not find the evidence that was in my mind. I think I was confusing it with evidence about the number of palliative care profe…”

“The amendment would specify that individuals should comply with the codes of practice issued by the Secretary of State. I am glad that the hon. Member for Spen Valley agreed to accept an earlier amendment requiring the Secretary of State to issue codes of practice. That was a helpful step, but it is not quite sufficien…”

“The point I am making is that we are suggesting that some future Secretary of State, in a different Government of which we know nothing, might decide to issue codes of practice that will determine how this process is delivered, but I will leave that point. We must address the weak status of these codes of practice. I r…”

“Q9. Having had 14 years to get ready, Labour came into power with no plan to reform welfare. Now, in a panic because of their economic mismanagement, the Government are cutting benefits for disabled people without consulting them at all. It probably says in the Prime Minister’s folder that the High Court ruled that the…”

“I am grateful. With great respect to other members of the Committee, I think the hon. Gentleman is the most honest advocate of assisted dying among us, because he genuinely recognises that autonomy demands the widest possible range of eligibility. It might be that other Members feel that we have the balance exactly rig…”

“I beg to move amendment 524, in clause 30, page 18, line 40, leave out from “have regard to” and insert “comply with”. This amendment would require individuals to comply with the Codes of Practice issued by the Secretary of State.”

“There is much to get into, and I will try to respond a bit more when I speak again. I do not want to revisit the whole question of palliative care but, on the scenario set out by the hon. Member for Penistone and Stocksbridge, the strong advice that I have received from palliative care professionals is that it is not a…”

“Let me come to the question of investigation by the police in due course, but I am not sure that the hon. Gentleman heard me clearly. I was not talking about offences that I think are rightly criminal; I was talking about offences that are not offences at all. Providing hospice care, helping people to relieve symptoms …”

“I am conflating the two because they are conflated in reality. A care home where somebody lives is a residence, but it is also a community, a facility and a place where professionals work to support that individual. A clear demarcation between their living arrangements and the support they receive from the institution …”

“It is good to see you this evening, Mrs Harris. I have no objection to the hon. Lady’s amendments. I think there is value in broadening the offence to include actions performed intentionally or recklessly, as that is critical for patient safety. Given the finality of the result of assisted death, there should not be an…”

“I acknowledge the point that the Minister is making. To the point made by my right hon. Friend the Member for North West Hampshire, we are talking not about two categories of offence within the same legal framework, namely GBH, but about two different legal frameworks altogether, the law of homicide and the law on assi…”

“It is an honour to follow my hon. Friend the Member for Reigate; I very much agree with the points that she made, and I hope that Ministers will respond. I will try not to repeat her arguments. The hon. Member for Spen Valley says that clause 24 is, in a sense, the heart of the Bill. I agree. Without the clause the Bil…”

“On a point of order, Mrs Harris. Before I move the next amendment, I wish to correct the record. I do not know if this is the moment to do so, but I wish to correct a mistake I made earlier today.”

“I was just concluding my remarks on the amendment. I will quickly finish responding to the hon. Member for Spen Valley and others, who suggested that it would be improper to deny people living in a care home, hospice setting or other communal environment the right and opportunity to request assisted dying. I was sugges…”

“That is helpful and makes sense. The only justification for duplication must be that the duplication is only partial, which the Minister has just suggested it is. Not a complete overlap—some cases will fall into one category, but not into the other. I wonder if she could help us to understand with an example that would…”

“I do not know what those might be, but I would be interested to hear. That might well be the case. I am afraid that no hard-and-fast rules can be clearly applied here; or, rather, we have to apply hard-and-fast rules in the knowledge of the grey areas, the exceptions and the situations in which we might feel that the l…”

“I want to quickly explain that my amendment 523 is consequential on amendment 447, but there is drafting issue. I will not go into the details but, if amendment 447 is made, as I understand it will be, my amendment 523 is not necessary. I would be grateful for the Minister’s guidance: if he has been advised by parliame…”

“The right hon. Lady clarifies the point very well. I concede—that is right. When someone goes to live in a care home, they yield, by necessity, a whole set of freedoms that one has in one’s own home. That is the consequence of the stage of life they are at, the conditions they have, and indeed their own choice to live …”

“My right hon. Friend seems hung up on this suggestion that there needs to be a plebiscite or communal decision making—some kind of citizens’ jury. I am not suggesting that for one moment. In fact, I am sure that I have said explicitly that what I want, and what the amendment would enable, is that the owner or occupier,…”