Speeches by Opher.

“I realise that my hon. Friend’s new clause 1 comes from a good place, but can she not see that it is inconsistent with our ethical obligations as doctors? That is why the British Medical Association has suggested that although there should be no duty to raise the issue, neither should there be a ban on doing so. I ask …”

“Any restrictions around the doctor-patient relationship will harm patients, so I agree with my hon. Friend.”

“Yes, I am happy to give way.”

“I am sorry, I cannot give way. I am just going to go through these points very quickly. That is why the BMA is against new clause 1. There is no duty for doctors to raise the issue, but there should not be any ban on them doing so. As I have pointed out, the so-called gagging clause was introduced in Victoria as part o…”

“I am interested in the community involvement aspect. I refer the House to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests. Mental health among men particularly is at a crisis point; in fact, suicide is a leading cause of death under 50. Will the hon. Member commend my club, Forest Green Rovers, which is trying…”

“In Stroud, Severn Trent has invested £25 million to stop overflow of sewage into the River Frome. Together with natural flood management from our district council, we have made rivers cleaner, and as a keen swimmer I am grateful for that. Would the hon. Member acknowledge that some water companies have been investing h…”

“Will my hon. Friend give way?”

“Of course it is essential that we maintain hospitals so that they are safe to treat patients in, so I agree with my hon. Friend about spending the money. In fact, the backlog bill for repairs in the NHS runs to £13.8 billion. I work as a GP in a GP practice, and I note that Lord Darzi estimates that £37 billion more sh…”

“I must confess that I am slightly surprised that the Lib Dems have brought forward an Opposition day debate about hospitals and are stating their case in such a way, because the last thing we need in this country is a load of promises we cannot keep. I am proud that we Government Members have provided sustainable and a…”

“I thank my hon. Friend the Member for North Ayrshire and Arran (Irene Campbell), for opening this debate, and Mr Stone, who started the petition. May I also say to the parliamentarians present that the speeches today have been excellent? I have really enjoyed listening and I thank hon. Members for that. I also thank th…”

“I thank the right hon. Gentleman for that point. The lack of transparency is a key issue. In 2023, oil and gas lobbyists spoke to Tory MPs on average 1.4 times per day, so is it really any wonder that they are now stepping back from their commitment to net zero? We must stop that sort of influence in Parliament. We mus…”

“There may be an incentive to review a patient for assisted dying, but there is absolutely no incentive in the Bill to approve assisted dying. The idea that doctors would approve assisted dying for financial reasons is completely spurious.”

“I really want to point out that there is no incentive to agree to assisted dying, only to assess for it. There is no reason for people to be corrupted into agreeing, because it would not mean they would get any more money.”

“Briefly, the hon. Lady says that only 30% of palliative care is funded by the NHS, but that is quite spurious, because everyone who gives palliative care—all doctor time, palliative care consultants, palliative care departments, all GP services, all district nurses—gives it under the NHS. What she must be talking about…”

“I find the delay of four years that new clause 40 would introduce excessive in terms of the time taken and needed to deliver the requirements to implement the Bill in legal terms. I urge the Committee to reduce that at least to three years. That would mean four six-month checks, rather than six. The reason is that we h…”

“I am afraid I do not understand how we could change this. I just wanted to put on record that I feel that a four-year delay is excessive. I have nothing further to add to that, but I would be interested in the legal opinion on whether we can change it.”

“Although I see the hon. Gentleman’s ideas and points, what will be paid for here is the assessment. I know no medical process where the outcome is paid for, rather than the assessment. Although I can see that his concerns are real, I do not believe—”

“My hon. Friend is making a reasoned speech. The thing is that the way the NHS is delivered is already very complex: for example, GPs are private providers who are on a contract with the NHS. Amending the Bill to completely ban private providers will not in any way enhance it; it will create a situation in which almost …”

“I understand the hon. Gentleman’s concern, but that is just not the way that medicine works. The doctor is under a code of practice, so if he is seen to lie about assessment of capacity or coercion, for example, to enable him to approve the decision and then go on to assist the dying, he would be well outside that code…”

“Does the hon. Gentleman accept that end-of-life care is also part of the NHS? That has always been part of the NHS, and it is not promoting health but enabling a good death.”