Member

The process of assisted death is not instantaneous; it can take up to 30 hours. In some cases, such as one in Australia that I heard about in a meeting organised by the noble and learned Lord, Lord Falconer, it took seven days. Under the Bill, the doctor has to stay with the person. Given the comments I have just quoted about the availability of doctors, can the noble and learned Lord, Lord Falconer, and the Minister tell us how they propose to ensure that doctors are available to provide the service? We have had very public statements by the royal colleges and professional associations about their negative views of the Bill and the established shortage of practitioners.