Speeches by Leadbeater.

“I will make some progress, if I may. I am trying to be very open to interventions, but I do need to crack on. The report must set out why the co-ordinating doctor is not satisfied and must contain an explanation of why the patient cannot proceed with the assisted dying process. The co-ordinating doctor must give a copy…”

“I will.”

“I thank the hon. Lady for her intervention. Given her background, she knows what she is talking about. Regulations will set out the level of expertise required by the doctor, but there will also be training for every single doctor taking part in the assisted dying process. That is done well around the world, so there i…”

“I thank my hon. Friend for that intervention. The Royal College of Psychiatrists has a neutral position on the issue of assisted dying. If we refer to the impact—[Interruption.] Yes, it does.”

“I will just finish this point. If we refer to the impact assessment, the number of people who will access assisted dying in the first few years will be very small. I think there are around 4,500 psychiatrists in the country, but there is also a period of time of a number of years to do the training required for psychia…”

“I will keep going, if I may, because I think I have been fairly fair. Amendment 78 ensures that all three members of the panel must agree before a certificate of eligibility is issued, so abstentions cannot result in approval. The amendment came about as a result of discussions in Committee. It is really important to c…”

“I am going to finish, if I may, because other people want to speak. Amendment 14, which was tabled by my hon. Friend the Member for Bradford West (Naz Shah)—another outstanding member of the Committee—states: “A person who would not otherwise meet the requirements of subsection (1) shall not be considered to meet those…”

“The hon. Gentleman makes an important point. The amendment is not specifically about eating disorders; there is a broader context. I will come to that later. It is with that experience in mind—my own personal experience and having spoken to many colleagues on this issue—that I say now, as I said in Committee, that unde…”

“I will take one final intervention.”

“I thank the hon. Gentleman for that point. The eligibility criteria in this Bill are very different from those in the jurisdictions he mentions—people with mental health conditions are not eligible for assisted dying under the provisions of this Bill.”

“I will just finish this point, because it is very important. I acknowledge the concerns that colleagues have expressed around this issue, and I believe they are the motivation behind amendment 14. As I have set out, I think that risk is negligible. I have taken advice, and there is some concern that clinicians might ha…”

“I am going to leave it there for now, if I may. I am conscious that many colleagues wish to speak in this important debate, and I am keen to hear their contributions, so I will conclude my remarks there. I thank colleagues for listening, and I hope they are able to support the amendments in my name today in the interes…”

“Is my right hon. Friend reassured by the fact that the Bill creates a criminal offence of coercion and pressure, which does not exist at the moment? No one is checking for coercion when victims of domestic abuse or others take their own lives under desperate circumstances.”

“I thank my hon. Friend for her passionate contribution, but this is exactly how we make law. We take evidence and have discussions—[Interruption.]”

“Will my hon. Friend give way?”

“Q6. Will the Prime Minister join me in thanking colleagues from across the House and the excellent Clerks and staff who have spent the last few months working on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill Committee? Does he agree that if the law is to change on assisted dying, it is extremely important to implement t…”

“The hon. Lady said that she is not questioning the ethical judgment and practice of doctors, but the comments she is making suggest otherwise.”

“Clause 40(4) is very clear that medical practitioners can receive only “reasonable remuneration” for the provision of services, so it is clear that they cannot make money from the provision of assisted dying. Is the hon. Lady saying that where there is a private provider or one commissioned by the NHS—the model that I …”

“I would argue that it does.”

“If the hon. Lady is saying that she would not want to see assisted dying services within the NHS, then where does she think they would sit? Would she support my hon. Friend the Member for Shipley’s suggestion that this should be done by the voluntary sector and charities, or would she suggest the private sector?”