Lord Falconer of Thoroton (Lab)

The purpose of making the amendments advanced by the noble Lord, Lord Frost, is clarity. We have to look at this not as some pamphlet but as a piece of legislation. The key thing is that it conveys what it means. The relevant words in the Bill at the moment are: “A terminally ill person in England or Wales … may, on request, be provided in England or Wales with assistance to end their own life in accordance with sections 8 to 30”. In my view, that could not be clearer. It is saying that the Bill is about providing assistance to end their own life in accordance with Sections 8 to 30. The noble Lord, Lord Frost, wishes to change the words “assistance to end their own life” to “medical help to commit suicide by provision of lethal drugs”. The language of the noble Lord, Lord Frost, is both more technical and much looser. Simply as a matter of legal drafting, the draft as it is at the moment is much clearer and accurately describes what would happen. It is not my drafting or that of the sponsor in the other place; it is the drafting of a professional draftsman and I strongly urge the Committee to stick with the non-emotional, accurate, clear drafting that is there already.