Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Con)

My Lords, I beg the indulgence of the Committee to raise what I think is an important point; I hope the Committee does not think it pedantic. I had not intended to speak but was prompted to by the excellent speech of the noble Baroness, Lady Falkner, and by my noble friend Lady Coffey’s reference to the lack of insight provided by the Government—I will not criticise the sponsor, the noble and learned Lord, Lord Falconer of Thoroton. This—our deliberations, scrutiny and oversight of the Bill—is a moveable feast, so we need information in real time. My specific point is not just about freedom of information but about Written Questions that the Government have received and not answered. On 1 December 2025 my noble friend Lord Kempsell asked His Majesty’s Government a very reasonable Question. He asked, with regard to the Bill and its impact assessment, “what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of judicial approval as a safeguard in countries with assisted suicide regimes, including the proportion of applications refused in those countries and the reasons for refusal”. Two months on, that Question has not been answered. That is unacceptable, because scrutiny and oversight require us to have all the information in our hands, including comparative legal, regulatory and medical regimes. By comparison, the very sensible Question from the noble Viscount, Lord Stansgate—I do not want to embarrass him because he is in the Chair—about the use of the Parliament Act was asked on 26 January and answered promptly on 29 January. The point is that there should be equality and a level playing field on Questions asked, irrespective of the position on the Bill of the noble Lord asking it.