Speeches by Kruger.

“I am grateful for that; I particularly respect my hon. Friend’s concern to protect the doctors from any confusion in the law they might be operating under. Just to take him back to the question of technology resolving what I regard as an insuperable problem—the difference between assistance and administration—is it my …”

“The Minister said that the Government find it impossible to understand the word “complications” —that it is too complex and full of ambiguity. Yet in clause 9 of the Bill, we have that very word. The suggestion is that the doctor should “discuss with the person their wishes in the event of complications”. Is that uncle…”

“rose—”

“The Minister suggests that it is appropriate for the patient to give some advance indication of what should be done in the event of complications, but that it would not be right for Parliament, too, to give advance direction of the sorts of responses that would be appropriate in the circumstances. I am afraid that I do…”

“We are not necessarily talking about someone who is dying right here and now in consequence of the drugs they have taken—we could be talking about someone who is many months away from their death. The scenario we are envisaging is that fatal drugs —poisonous drugs—have been administered to the patient’s body and we are…”

“I thank the hon. Lady for explaining the purpose of the amendments. Amendment 500 specifies the information that a final statement must contain. Will she clarify why there is no requirement to record any details of what happened once the drugs were administered, other than the time between the use of the approved subst…”

“I beg to move amendment 409, in clause 20, page 13, line 35, leave out from “specify” to “for” and insert— “two or more drugs or other substances with different techniques of administration”. The amendment requires that the Secretary of State specifies two or more drugs or other substances, which have different techniq…”

“I rise to speak to amendment 440, which stands in the name of the hon. Member for York Central. I echo the points made by the hon. Member for Banbury. Surely it is the case that the interventions made by a medical practitioner in response to the procedure failing, and the timing of those interventions, must be properly…”

“I beg to move amendment 480, in clause 23, page 15, line 3, leave out subsection (1) and insert— “(1) No individual is under any duty (whether arising from any contract, statute or otherwise) to be involved, directly or indirectly, in the provision of assistance in accordance with this Act. (1A) In particular, no indiv…”

“I rise to speak in support of my amendments 480 and new clause 22, and amendments 483, 484 and 441, tabled by the hon. Member for York Central. The conscience clause that is provided for in clause 23 is too narrow in two respects: first, in who it covers, and secondly, in what it protects. I will start with the issue o…”

“I beg to ask leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”

“I am very pleased to hear it. I thank the hon. Lady for that. That helps me because I was perplexed about the difference. It is good to hear from her that there is no particular group of professionals who she thinks should not be included in the conscience clause. It is good to hear that she agrees with that. I would b…”

“Those are the sorts of circumstances in which I envisage an occupier—namely, the manager or the organisation that provides the home—being entitled to state that assisted dying does not take place on their premises. I recognise that that is a challenge for individuals living there, but it is explicitly because they are …”

“Not really. It is within the rights of managers—particularly hotel managers or people who host a bed and breakfast—not to admit prostitution on their premises, even if it is legal. Although it is illegal to discriminate against particular groups, it is legal for the occupiers of premises, in certain circumstances, to d…”

“I am afraid that is right—I am not going to pretend otherwise. I recognise that, in those circumstances, it would be distressing for the individual who lives in the care home either not to have this new treatment—this service—or to go elsewhere to have it. I recognise that that would be an imposition on and an inconven…”

“Yes, I do acknowledge the problem with that. My expectation would be—thinking about this in real human terms—that if somebody wanted an assisted death, and they wanted to do it in a particular care home, that would be a conversation they would have with the care home operator. The care home operator might have an absol…”

“I will give way to my right hon. Friend, but I want to invite Committee members to recognise or consider evidence that I have heard, from the settings where assisted deaths take place in other countries, of the genuinely disturbing impact that an assisted death has on everybody involved, even those people who support t…”

“I am sorry; I mis-spoke. I should have said that we have ruled out clarifying the expectations of what doctors should do in the event of an assisted death, and whether or not that is specified by the patient. Earlier today, the Committee again ruled out specifying what the obligations on doctors are if complications ar…”

“I am sorry; I was going to give way to my right hon. Friend.”

“I am grateful for my right hon. Friend’s concern about my experience on social media. I referenced prostitution because he, or another Member, asked me in what circumstances it might be acceptable for an owner or occupier of a premises to specify activity that may or may not—”