L

Lord Harper (Con)

Speaking in the House of Lords on 30 January 2026

Debate

Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill

Contribution

Can I just illustrate, perhaps, to the noble and learned Lord why people are so nervous? In the Commons, at Second Reading and for much of the Committee stage, MPs were told that the panel would have to speak to the patient. Amendments were tabled subsequently—the ones I talked about—which then allowed the panel to accept pre-recorded video and waive hearing from the applicant entirely in those undefined exceptional circumstances. I absolutely accept the argument against a blanket position, but if there was a rebuttable presumption that it should be face to face and some circumstances were set out, which could be developed with case law, from listening to the debate, it seems that that would command widespread support from the Committee and would deal both with people’s concerns and, rightly, the patient-centred approach that the three noble Baronesses set out for noble Lords.

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