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Lord Falconer of Thoroton (Lab)

Speaking in the House of Lords on 5 December 2025

Debate

Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill

Contribution

The noble Baroness is right that it is the Equality Act, not the disability Act; I apologise for that. If we were to restrict it to that, we would restrict it to a particular thing, and we think that it should be wider that. Again, we can talk about that at the ever-expanding meeting. On Amendment 416, the noble Lord, Lord Ashcombe, was particularly exercised by the fact that the second doctor would not see the report of the first doctor; he would have some degree of problem with that. The noble Lord will know that, where a second doctor is brought in—where a referral is made to a new practitioner—the co-ordinating doctor must provide the new doctor with a copy of the previous report. If the new doctor is satisfied as to all the matters mentioned in Clause 11 on capacity et cetera, he or she then has to say why he or she disagrees with the previous doctor. The noble Lord’s legitimate sharpness in relation to that point was based, I think, on an improper understanding of Amendment 416, which will allow this to happen only once the new doctor sees the report of the previous doctor. In the light of my exchange with the noble Lord, Lord Moylan, which was right for us to have, I will not move my amendment. Although the noble Baroness, Lady Coffey, was kind enough to indicate that she will withdraw her amendment to my amendment, because the noble Lord, Lord Moylan, thinks his drafting is better, we will have to wait and see what happens on Report. Do not hold it against me when I come back with the same amendment on Report.

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