Latest news with #Bill
Western Telegraph
13 minutes ago
- Health
- Western Telegraph
Assisted dying: All you need to know following the crunch Commons vote
Here, the PA news agency takes a look at the Bill and what happens next after a significant moment in its journey to become law. – What is in the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill? The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill has since been amended by a committee (Stefan Rousseau/PA) The proposed legislation would allow terminally ill adults in England and Wales, with fewer than six months to live, to apply for an assisted death. This would be subject to approval by two doctors and a panel featuring a social worker, senior legal figure and psychiatrist. The terminally ill person would take an approved substance, provided by a doctor but administered only by the person themselves. On Friday, MPs voted 314 to 291, majority 23, in favour of legalising assisted dying as they completed the mainstay of their work on the Bill. It will now face further debate in the House of Lords. – When would assisted dying be available if the Bill became law? Kim Leadbeater is the MP behind the Bill (Jordan Pettitt/PA) The implementation period has been doubled to a maximum of four years from royal assent, the point it is rubber stamped into law, rather than the initially suggested two years. If the Bill was to pass later this year that would mean it might not be until 2029, potentially coinciding with the end of this Government's parliament, that assisted dying was being offered. Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, who is the parliamentarian behind the Bill and put forward the extended timeframe, has insisted it is 'a backstop' rather than a target, as she pledged to 'hold the Government's feet to the fire' on implementing legislation should the Bill pass. The extended implementation period was one of a number of changes made since the Bill was first introduced to the Commons back in October. – What other changes have there been? A High Court safeguard was scrapped during the committee process (Alamy/PA) On Friday, MPs bolstered the Bill so people with eating disorders are ruled out of falling into its scope. Another amendment, requiring ministers to report within a year of the Bill passing on how assisted dying could affect palliative care, was also approved by MPs. Previously, a High Court safeguard was dropped, with the oversight of judges in the assisted dying process replaced with expert panels. The change was much criticised by opponents, who said it weakened the Bill, but Ms Leadbeater has argued it strengthens it. At the end of a weeks-long committee process earlier this year to amend the Bill, Ms Leadbeater said rather than removing judges from the process, 'we are adding the expertise and experience of psychiatrists and social workers to provide extra protections in the areas of assessing mental capacity and detecting coercion while retaining judicial oversight'. Changes were also made to ensure the establishment of independent advocates to support people with learning disabilities, autism or mental health conditions and to set up a disability advisory board to advise on legal implementation and impact on disabled people. Amendments added earlier this month during report stage in the Commons will also see assisted dying adverts banned if the Bill becomes law, and a prohibition on medics being able to speak to under-18s about assisted dying. – Do we know much more about the potential impact of such a service coming in? A Government impact assessment, published earlier this month, estimated that between 164 and 647 assisted deaths could potentially take place in the first year of the service, rising to between 1,042 and 4,559 in year 10. The establishment of a Voluntary Assisted Dying Commissioner and three-member expert panels would cost an estimated average of between £10.9 million and £13.6 million per year, the document said. It had 'not been possible' to estimate the overall implementation costs at this stage of the process, it added. While noting that cutting end-of-life care costs 'is not stated as an objective of the policy', the assessment estimated that such costs could be reduced by as much as an estimated £10 million in the first year and almost £60 million after 10 years. – Do healthcare staff have to take part in assisted dying? Doctors will not have to take part in assisted dying (Lynne Cameron/PA) It was already the case that doctors would not have to take part, but MPs have since voted to insert a new clause into the Bill extending that to anyone. The wording means 'no person', including social care workers and pharmacists, is obliged to take part in assisted dying and can now opt out. Amendments to the Bill were debated on care homes and hospices also being able to opt out but these were not voted on. Ms Leadbeater has previously said there is nothing in the Bill to say they have to, nor is there anything to say they do not have to, adding on the Parliament Matters podcast that this is 'the best position to be in' and that nobody should be 'dictating to hospices what they do and don't do around assisted dying'. – What will happen next? MPs debated the Bill in the House of Commons (Malcolm Croft/PA) Friday's vote in the Commons makes it more likely for the assisted dying Bill to become law, now that it has the backing of a majority of MPs. But this is not guaranteed, and first it must continue on a journey through Parliament. The Bill now heads to the House of Lords, as both Houses of Parliament must agree its final text before it can be signed into law. During the next stages, peers are expected to put forward amendments to the Bill. If the Commons disagrees with these amendments, this will spark a process known as 'ping pong' which will continue until both Houses agree over its text. – Will the Bill definitely become law? There is a risk that the Bill could be stuck in a deadlock between the House of Commons and House of Lords, as it goes back and forth in disagreement. If this continues until the current session of Parliament ends, then the Bill would fall. Ms Leadbeater told journalists on Friday she hoped there were no attempts to purposefully wreck it by peers. 'I really hope there are no funny games, because the process has been extremely fair,' she said. The Spen Valley MP said she did not know when the current parliamentary session would end, but suggested it could stretch into late 2025, giving her Bill the best part of six months to complete the full parliamentary process. Speaking about the end of the session to reporters, Ms Leadbeater said: 'I am not imagining that is going to be imminently, but it could be before the end of the year.' One member of the House of Lords, Bishop of London Dame Sarah Mullally, has already indicated she is against it. The Church of England bishop said peers 'must oppose' the assisted dying Bill when it reaches them because of the 'mounting evidence that it is unworkable and unsafe'. – What about assisted dying in the rest of the UK and Crown Dependencies? The Isle of Man's parliament took its final vote in favour of assisted dying in March (Alamy/PA) The Isle of Man looks likely to become the first part of the British Isles to legalise assisted dying, after its proposed legislation passed through a final vote of the parliament's upper chamber in March. In what was hailed a 'landmark moment', members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) in May voted in favour of the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill, backing its general principles. It will now go forward for further scrutiny and amendments but will become law only if MSPs approve it in a final vote, which should take place later this year. Any move to legalise assisted dying in Northern Ireland would have to be passed by politicians in the devolved Assembly at Stormont. Jersey's parliament is expected to debate a draft law for an assisted dying service on the island for terminally ill people later this year. With a likely 18-month implementation period if a law is approved, the earliest it could come into effect would be summer 2027.
ITV News
22 minutes ago
- Health
- ITV News
Assisted dying bill passed by MPs - but what does this mean for Wales?
Plans to change the law to legalise assisted dying in Wales and England have come a step closer with an historic vote in the Commons, but there remain huge questions over how it will actually affect Wales. MPs voted to pass the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill by 314 to 291. Of Wales' 32 MPs - 24 backed the bill, seven voted against and one did not vote. Health is devolved, so the implementation of any assisted dying service would be carried out through the Welsh NHS which is controlled by the Welsh Government and ultimately answerable to the Senedd itself. In a vote last October on the principle of assisted dying, Senedd members including the First Minister and Health Secretary voted against it, which means there is every chance that MSs could vote to block it. That in turn raises the prospect of assisted dying being legalised here in Wales but Welsh doctors prohibited from providing the service. An earlier attempt to give the power to decide whether or not to allow the law to be changed here in Wales to the Senedd was overturned via an amendment to the Bill. One of the MPs behind that bid, Plaid Cymru's Liz Saville Roberts, said: 'It is regrettable that the House chose to remove the Senedd's power to commence this Bill in Wales. "Health is devolved, and I firmly believe that the Senedd must take responsibility for the services available to people at the end of their lives. I am concerned that we could face a situation where assisted dying is permitted only through the private sector in Wales. 'I am also disappointed that no Welsh MP was called to speak in today's debate. Scottish and Northern Irish MPs were given the opportunity to contribute, despite the Bill not extending to those jurisdictions. 'I am nevertheless pleased that this Bill has passed its third reading. We are a step closer to granting people dying of terminal illnesses dignity at the of their lives, and the safeguards have been strengthened to protect vulnerable people.' I understand that there will be a vote on the aspects of the bill that are devolved, particularly as it affects the health service which is the means by which any assisted dying service will be provided here in Wales. It will come in the form of a Legislative Consent Motion (LCM) whereby Senedd members agree or disagree to allow UK Parliament legislation to affect Senedd law. The Health Secretary, Jeremy Miles, has already tabled an LCM although it might have to be altered now that the bill has been altered. An updated LCM has to be laid by 4th July. The Welsh Government says: 'We remain neutral on the issue of assisted dying. 'We have been working constructively with the UK Government and the Bill sponsor to ensure devolved interests are taken into account and the devolution settlement is respected.
Evening Standard
36 minutes ago
- Politics
- Evening Standard
Assisted dying: All you need to know following the crunch Commons vote
Ms Leadbeater has previously said there is nothing in the Bill to say they have to, nor is there anything to say they do not have to, adding on the Parliament Matters podcast that this is 'the best position to be in' and that nobody should be 'dictating to hospices what they do and don't do around assisted dying'.
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Health
- Daily Mirror
What happens next after historic assisted dying vote - 'not over yet'
MPs backed a landmark Bill that will allow assisted dying in England and Wales - but it still has to undergo scrutiny in the House of Lords, which could prove tricky MPs today backed historic legislation that will legalise assisted dying. A Bill put forward by Labour backbencher Kim Leadbeater narrowly passed through the Commons after an intense debate. But opponents say "this is not over" as there are still hurdles to overcome before it can become law. Ms Leadbeater's Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill was supported by 314 MPs from across the political spectrum and opposed by 291. It was a huge victory for campaigners who have lobbied for decades to change the law and give terminally ill people control over how they die. Throughout the day the Commons heard passionate pleas from both sides of the argument. READ MORE: Terminally ill gran's heartbreaking message to MPs ahead of assisted dying vote What happens next? The Bill has passed its third reading, which means elected MPs support it. As is routine, it will now be sent to the House of Lords to scrutinise. Although the Lords is unelected, and there have long been calls to abolish it, it does have a crucial role in passing legislation. Peers will go through the Bill line-by-line and outline any parts they are unsure about. Members can table amendments, and if the House backs them these will be sent back to the Commons to have another look. So can they block the Bill? The main danger for supporters will be that the Bill runs out of time. The legislation will fall if it isn't completed in the current session of Parliament, which does give disgruntled peers the power to throw a spanner in the works. Sessions usually last a year, and the current one began last July after the general election. But there's no fixed rule, meaning it could still run for a few more months. The problem will come if there's a long back-and-forth - known as "ping pong" between the Lords and the Commons. The last time this happened was with Rishi Sunak's botched Safety of Rwanda Bill, which kept being sent back to MPs as peers tried to make changes. If the same happens again, the process could take several months. And a lot of MPs are expecting this - during today's debate there was a lot of talk of scrutiny in "the other place" - meaning the House of Lords. Baroness Finlay, a palliative care doctor who opposes the Bill, told the BBC: "Our role is not to rubber stamp whatever has happened in the Commons, particularly when we know that so many amendments put down in the Commons that would have improved the Bill have gone undebated." So is there still a fight to come? Potentially, depending on the mood of the Lords. It's not gone unnoticed that the majority this time around was lower than it was in November, when the legislation was last in the Commons. Lib Dem MP Tim Farron, an opponent of the Bill, posted: : "Wow! Majority slashed. At the risk of sounding like Jeremy Corbyn … we clearly won the argument there! With a tiny majority and growing opposition from expert groups, the Lords will now rightly feel that they have the right to disagree. To my pleasant surprise, this is not over!" Do Lords amendments have to go in the Bill? No. As we saw with the Rwanda Bill, peers can suggest changes to legislation, but it is the Commons that decides. If MPs think suggestions from the Lords are helpful, they can accept them. If they don't - as the Conservatives decided with the proposed changes on Rwanda - they can vote them down. So when will it actually become law? Once both Houses are satisfied, or when MPs throw out amendments by the Lords. As we saw under Mr Sunak, having a lot of unhappy peers does not have to stop legislation going through. Once it gets through the Lords it will receive Royal Assent, meaning it is on the statute books. When can the first assisted dying case happen? There are a number of safeguards put into the Bill to ensure this is not rushed. The Bill as it stands - although peers may try to push for changes - says it will take up to four years. This means it could be late 2029 by the time the first person is able to choose to end their lives this way. In each case there will be a panel of experts who will have to give their consent to each assisted death, along with doctors. This process will take time to set up, and it remains to be seen whether there are any big legal hurdles to overcome. But Ms Leadbeater has indicated that the four year timeframe is not a target but a "backstop" - meaning it could be sooner.
South Wales Guardian
2 hours ago
- Health
- South Wales Guardian
Campaigners for and against assisted dying make feelings known at Westminster
Dame Prue Leith, Dame Esther Rantzen's daughter, Rebecca Wilcox, and the broadcaster, Jonathan Dimbleby, were among the high-profile figures supporting the Bill to change the law in England and Wales. Members of the Dignity in Dying campaign wore pink and held placards in memory of friends and family members. Those opposed to the Bill included groups dressed as scientists in white lab coats and bloodied gloves and masks, as well as nuns and other members of religious organisations. The mood amongst campaigners was largely calm and respectful on both sides. Dame Prue told the PA news agency she was 'both nervous and confident' about the outcome. 'It's so moving to see all these people with placards of people they've lost or people who are dying of cancer,' she said. 'It's hard not to cry because I think they have done such a good job. Let's hope we've won.' Mr Dimbleby said he believed the Bill would be 'transformative'. He added: 'What it will mean is millions of people will be able to say to themselves, 'If I'm terminally ill, I will be able to choose, assuming I am of sound mind and I am not being coerced, to say 'Yes, I want to be assisted – I have dignity in death'.' Rebecca Wilcox, the daughter of Dame Esther, said: 'It couldn't be a kinder, more compassionate Bill that respects choice at the end of life, that respects kindness and empathy and gives us all an option when other options, every other option, has been taken away, and it would just be the perfect tool for a palliative care doctor to have in their med bag.' Teachers Catie and Becky Fenner said they wanted other families to benefit from the Bill. Their mother, who had motor neurone disease, had flown to Dignitas in Switzerland to end her life at a cost of £15,000. The sisters said they did not get to properly say goodbye and grieve and worried about the legal repercussions. Catie, 37, said: 'We were left quite traumatised by the whole experience – not only seeing a parent go through a really horrible disease but then the secrecy of the planning.' Campaigners against the Bill, who were gathered outside Parliament, chanted 'We are not dead yet' and 'Kill the Bill, not the ill'. A display was erected with a gravestone reading 'RIP: The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill. Bury it deep', and behind were two mounds meant to resemble graves. Andrew Hilliard, 75, said he was opposed for religious reasons. He was dressed in a white lab coat with a placard reading: 'Protect our NHS from becoming the National Suicide Service'. The chief executive of Care Not Killing, Dr Gordon Macdonald, said MPs should prioritise improving palliative care. He said: 'Most people, when thinking about the practical implications of this, for those most vulnerable, they change their minds.' George Fielding, a campaigner affiliated with the Not Dead Yet group which is opposed to assisted dying, said he attended to represent disabled people. He said: 'This Bill will endanger and shorten the lives of disabled people.'
