Speeches by Paul.

“It is really helpful to have these questions. I would, of course, defer to the Ministers, as they will be best placed to answer that. However, I suspect the characteristic would be belief. We are trying to ensure that if a hospice has a policy of not providing assisted dying, it is not in a situation where it has emplo…”

“I thank the hon. Lady for raising that question. No, that would not be the case, because the amendment specifically says “with that employer”, so it links only to employer A. I think the wording is very clear that the situation that the hon. Lady is concerned about should not arise.”

“I will be very brief. I rise to ask a few questions about clause 21 as a whole. Following our debates on various amendments, I am aware that family and those close to the patient could not be involved in the process, although potentially for understandable reasons. I appreciate that we are not here to deal with the who…”

“My hon. Friend the Member for East Wiltshire eloquently covered most of the things I would have said. We have probably not spoken enough to date about the impact on pharmacists, but we are getting to the point in the Bill where it is really important that we take on board the written evidence and feedback that we are h…”

“I would like to think that that would naturally happen, and we have had lots of conversations where we have said, “In reality, of course this conversation would happen.” But I always like to be belt and braces, and I would like to have these things covered in the Bill. If Committee members are confident that these thin…”

“I rise to speak in support of amendment 408, in the name of the hon. Member for Broxtowe. I also support amendments 499 and 210, in the name of the hon. Member for Spen Valley, and amendment 22, in the name of the hon. Member for Lowestoft (Jess Asato). Clause 19 states that “the coordinating doctor may authorise, in w…”

“I thank the Minister for that explanation. I suggest it would also be appropriate for him to set out the changes that could be put in place in order for the amendment to work in that way. To my mind, that would give the true neutrality that he is seeking to achieve. Rather than set out why something does not work, he c…”

“Following on from the point made by the hon. Member for Bradford West, has the Minister taken into account the guidance on private Members’ Bills? It says exactly what the hon. Member has just set out: the spirit of amendments should be taken, and it is for the Government to ensure that the integrity of the statute is …”

“rose—”

“I am just making the point that palliative care has deteriorated in jurisdictions that have introduced assisted dying. Therefore, we need to bear that in mind for this country if assisted dying is introduced. This is also about competition for time and resources. One palliative care provider in Ontario has been cited a…”

“Technically, our palliative care can be described as world leading, but we would all agree that much more is needed.”

“It is in the top quartile. That does not mean it is good enough—not by any stretch—but I would prefer not to see it fall down.”

“I thank the hon. Lady for keeping me on track. These points are important because I am setting out the importance of protecting the hospice sector, which is what these amendments seek to do. I am setting out the context that hospices currently face, and the challenges that they will potentially face if assisted dying i…”

“I have real sympathy for that situation, because no one wants to see that. That is why it is really important to be clear up front. I would like care homes and hospices to be clear with their policy, so that when people make decisions about where to have their care or where to live, they can take it into account. I tot…”

“I thank my right hon. Friend and am sure I will come to his point. I echo what my hon. Friend the Member for East Wiltshire said about the definition of “assistance” in clause 23. If this legislation is to genuinely respect the preferences of doctors and other professionals, it is essential that “assistance” is read as…”

“I do not think we should make the mistake of thinking belief is necessarily religious. I do not adhere to any faith, but I have beliefs about certain things that are protected—those beliefs are protected, and they do not necessarily have to relate to a religion. We are getting philosophical now!”

“I go back to my previous comment: I suggest that belief would be the protected characteristic.”

“I apologise to my hon. Friend; I probably should not have used him as an example in that way—it is getting late. I actually think that this clause would benefit more those organisations that support assisted dying. It would ensure that they have the right people who support it working in there. We want patients to get …”

“It is clear that the hon. Member for Harrogate and Knaresborough is trying to create equity, which we all understand. We need to think about the patient on the one hand, but also the doctors, nurses and medical practitioners involved. Does my hon. Friend agree that we need to think about the obligation and impact of su…”

“The Minister is being incredibly patient with our questions. The question from the hon. Member for Ashford raises exactly the point with which I am uncomfortable. To me, the phrase “assist that person to ingest” means something else. I am really concerned that it could be interpreted differently from how the Minister h…”