Lord Empey (UUP)

My Lords, there are some amendments in a later group—the 50th group—on this subject of approved substances and their regulation. As the noble Baroness, Lady Hollins, pointed out, if you buy a packet of aspirin, you get a sheet that gives you the different risk levels. What I would like to know from the Government is: what will be done to ascertain how this list of approved substances is compiled? We know from examples given earlier today that, sometimes, things go wrong. When you go through any medical procedure, you are always asked to sign a piece of paper asking whether you consent: quite often, you are practically on the slab when you are asked to sign it. The point I am getting at is: have we done any homework on what these substances should be? Have we analysed internationally how they have interacted in circumstances where assisted suicide is being promoted or is available? Do we have any of that information? We know, as has been mentioned, of circumstances in which executions have been carried out in certain American states, and even there, where multiple substances have been used with one purpose, sometimes it does not work out. We know that that is the case, and I cannot think of anything worse if we go down this track. Although the promoter of the Bill has made his position clear, this is a matter for the Government as well. The Government have to tell us whether they have done any meaningful research. What is the legal framework? How will these substances be handled, bearing in mind that they will be going all over the country? They will not be going just to a single place. Pharmacies throughout the hospital system are very pressurised environments. Staff will have to be retrained. Given the nature of these substances, special procedures will have to be employed in practically every pharmacy in the United Kingdom where they will be required; I should say that, by “pharmacy”, I mean a hospital pharmacy. I fear that this is another example of something that is half-baked; it is not worked out, researched or available. We have blank spaces around these lethal substances, and we are asking: what are they? All the questions—