Question to the Leader of the House:

To ask the Leader of the House, which of the Private Member's Bills introduced in the last session were originally Government handout Bills, and which in this session is the Government putting forward to Hon Members and noble peers; and whether the Assisted Dying legislation was a handout.

Answered by Alan Campbell - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons

Private Members’ Bills provide an invaluable opportunity for Members to promote the causes they support.

In the first session, the Government supported eight Private Members’ Bills which reached Royal Assent: Absent Voting (Elections in Scotland and Wales) Act, Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Act, Dogs (Protection of Livestock) (Amendment) Act, Space Industries (Indemnities) Act, Unauthorised Entry to Football Matches Act, Secure 16 to 19 Academies Act, Licensing Hours Extensions Act and the Rare Cancers Act. The Government also supported three Private Members’ Bills which did not reach Royal Assent last session: Controlled Drugs (Procedure for Specification) Bill, Courts (Remote Hearings) Bill and Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Bill.

For Private Members’ Bills being introduced this session, the Government will make its position known at Second Reading in the usual way.

The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill in the previous session was introduced without drafting or policy support from the Government. The Government is neutral on the issue of assisted dying but has an obligation to ensure that any Bill passed by Parliament is operable and workable in order to fulfil its duty to the statute book. In line with this duty, the Government provided advice on matters of legal and technical workability during the passage of the Bill in the last session. The Bill introduced in this session reflects the progress of the Bill in the last session.