Found: report of Baroness Ramsey’s committee, the Delegated Powers 19 Committee, on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill

Found: Submission by CARE on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill Scrutiny evidence

Found: care provision, which has emerged in the wake of separate consideration of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill

Found: During the passage of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, people have gathered in Parliament

Found: During the Committee Stage of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, Ms Shah had to leave early

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 16 July (HL8983), which Minister took the decision to make the "Assisted Dying Bill" a major priority of the Government, when they took that decision and why.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

I refer the noble Lord to the Written Ministerial Statement (HLWS875) which was made to the House on 22 July 2025, which stated:

“It has been brought to my attention that a written answer given to Lord Scriven contained inaccurate information related to the work of the Department for Health and Social Care.

The reply to written Parliamentary Question HL8983, tabled by Lord Scriven on 30 June 2025, stated that “the Department’s staff numbers have needed to increase to ensure the right skills and capability to deliver several of the Government’s major priorities.” The answer then went on to list a number of areas which have required additional staff resource within the Department. The Assisted Dying Bill has required additional resource but should not have been referred to as a Government priority given the Government’s neutrality on the issue.

For clarity, the answer should read:

“The Department’s total paybill and staffing costs have not risen by £20 million since July 2024; rather, they have risen, but by £2.5 million in that time.

Since the General Election, the Department’s staff numbers have needed to increase to ensure the right skills and capability to deliver several of the Government’s major priorities. During this period, payroll costs have also increased because of annual pay increases.

Given the scale of the challenges facing the health and social care system, as part of the Spending Review, the Department is working on reducing its headcount down to pre-election levels during 2025/26. This is a key step towards a streamlined centre, to support continued prioritisation towards front-line services.”

I would like to apologise for any confusion.”

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the cost of implementing the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill in each of its first three years of operation should it become law.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

I refer the noble Lord to the impact assessment.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of levels of current funding on palliative care on an assisted dying service.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

I refer the Hon. Member to the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: impact assessment, which considers the resourcing implications of an assisted dying service on palliative and end of life care services.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to provide additional funding for the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is neutral on the passing of this Bill and the principle of assisted dying. Should it be the will of Parliament for this legislation to pass, the Government would address the issue of funding at the appropriate time.

In the meantime, I refer the hon. Member to the published impact assessment, which provides a range of potential cost estimates.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they considered the legal opinion by Tom Cross KC and Ruth Kennedy entitled In the Matter of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill published on 28 April when updating the ECHR Memorandum for Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, published on 26 June.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

We were aware of the advice, but did not reference it in our European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) memorandum. The Government prepared the ECHR memorandum to assist the Joint Committee on Human Rights. In that memorandum, the Government has set out the articles of the ECHR which it considers are likely engaged by the bill, including Article 14 together with Article 2.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they consulted the Equality and Human Rights Commission before publishing the Equality Impact Assessment for the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Equality and Human Rights Commission was not consulted before the Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA) was published for the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill. However, the briefing authored by the commission in November 2024 has informed the EQIA.

The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill is a Private Member’s Bill, and the Government has taken a neutral stance. The EQIA for the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill is a neutral and independent assessment of the impact of the bill, and the Government did not undertake a consultation process on this assessment.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have estimated the cost to the NHS of implementing the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill impact assessment considered the impacts of the bill at the end of Committee Stage in the House of Commons and, where possible, provided indicative cost ranges to the National Health Service for illustrative purposes.

If the will of Parliament is to pass the bill, detailed work on a delivery model and its cost implications would need to be developed.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of supporting the amendments tabled by the hon. Member for Runnymede and Weybridge to the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is neutral on the matter of assisted dying and the passage of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.

The Government has a responsibility to make sure that any legislation that passes through Parliament is effective and enforceable. Assessments were made of individual amendments to the bill to inform advice to Parliament on their workability, where major workability concerns were identified.

The bill, and decisions on amendments, remains a matter for Parliament.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has discussed the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill with his counterpart in the Welsh Government.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government remains neutral on the matter of assisted dying and the passage of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill. The Bill remains a matter for the hon. Member for Spen Valley who, as its sponsor, leads on policy and engagement in relation to the Bill.

Ministers in the Department have had no discussions about the Bill with counterparts in the Welsh Government.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the potential cost to the public purse of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

I refer the hon. Member to the impact assessment.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill on the NHS budget.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

I refer the hon. Member to the impact assessment.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many meetings he has had with the Royal College of Psychiatrists to discuss the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill since 11 November 2024.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is neutral on the matter of assisted dying and the passage of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.

My Rt. Hon. friend, the Secretary of State of Health and Social Care, has not had any meetings to discuss the Bill with any stakeholders, given the Government’s neutral position. The Bill, as it stands, contains various duties to consult relevant stakeholders, to consider how the operation of the Bill may impact different groups.

Should Parliament decide to pass the Bill, the Government recognises that the experience of key stakeholders will be integral to the design and delivery of an assisted dying service.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to engage with (a) disabled and (b) terminally ill children on the potential impact of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill on (i) their lives and (ii) sense of value.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is neutral on the matter of assisted dying and the passage of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.

My Rt. Hon. friend, the Secretary of State of Health and Social Care, has not had any meetings to discuss the Bill with any stakeholders, given the Government’s neutral position. The Bill, as it stands, contains various duties to consult relevant stakeholders, to consider how the operation of the Bill may impact different groups.

Should Parliament decide to pass the Bill, the Government recognises that the experience of key stakeholders will be integral to the design and delivery of an assisted dying service.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department considered the legal opinion by Tom Cross KC and Ruth Kennedy entitled In the Matter of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, published on 28 April 2025, during the development of the document entitled Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: ECHR memorandum, published on 2 May 2025.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

It was not possible to consider the legal opinion entitled In the Matter of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill during the development of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: ECHR memorandum, as the legal opinion was published after the European Convention on Human Rights Memorandum (ECHR) memorandum was finalised for publication.

The ECHR memorandum sets out the Government’s position on the bill’s compatibility with the Human Rights Act 1998.

The Government will keep the bill’s compatibility with the Human Rights Act 1998 under review as it progresses through Parliament, and issue a further ECHR memorandum if appropriate.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill on the operation of the Mental Health Act 1983.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is neutral on the matter of assisted dying and the passage of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.

The Government also has a duty to the statute book and to ensure that the legislation, if passed, is effective, robust, and workable. This includes analysing the bill’s workability in relation to existing legislation, such as the Mental Health Act 1983. The bill also provides powers to issue guidance and codes of practice which could be used to ensure that there are no unintended effects on other legislation.

The Government has made a renewed focus on suicide prevention, and mental health is a key priority in its health mission within the Suicide Prevention Strategy for England.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill on his Department’s suicide prevention strategy.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is neutral on the matter of assisted dying and the passage of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.

The Government remains committed to tackling suicide as one the biggest killers in this country and preventing lives being lost.

The suicide prevention strategy identifies priority areas for action to reduce suicide and we will continue to explore opportunities to go further.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether she has discussed the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill with representatives of the Welsh Government.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The Secretary of State has not discussed the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill with counterparts in the Welsh Government.

The Government is neutral on the matter of assisted dying and the passage of the Bill.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, in the light of references to Year 1 Foundation Doctors in the impact assessment of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, whether new graduates will be expected to be involved in the assisted dying process.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill continues to be a matter for Parliament. The Government is neutral on the substantive policy questions relevant to how the law in this area could change, and on the principle of assisted dying.

The impact assessment considered different scenarios for illustrative purposes only, and does not indicate a Government position. If the bill progresses, detailed work on a delivery model would need to be developed.

As part of this work, the Government would consult with relevant stakeholders before bringing forward affirmative regulations on the training requirements for assessing doctors.

Question

To ask the hon. Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, what assessment the Church of England has made of the potential impact of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill on Church-owned hospices.

Answered by Marsha De Cordova

Thanks to the pioneering work of Dame Cicely Saunders, many modern hospices started off as church-affiliated institutions. The majority of these organisations and charities have now become affiliated to Hospice UK, which supports over 200 hospices across the UK. Adult hospices in the UK receive on average only a third of their funding from the state, and for the rest, many rely on charitable support.

Professional bodies in the hospice sector have given written and oral evidence to the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill Committee to highlight their concerns about the legislation.

The precarious funding of palliative and end of life care means not everyone has full and equal access to the care that they need, which is one of the reasons why it is wrong to legislate for assisted suicide. It is crucial that the public funding that hospices currently receive does not come into question in relation to the provision of assisted suicide, should the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill pass.

Most recently, the Rt Revd Lord Bishop of London gave written evidence to the Bill Committee on behalf of the Church of England. The evidence can be found here: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5901/cmpublic/TerminallyIllAdults/memo/TIAB28.htm

Question

To ask the hon. Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, what discussions the Church of England has had with the leaders of other faith groups on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.

Answered by Marsha De Cordova

The Church of England General Synod voted on this issue in 2012 and 2022 and on both occasions there was near-unanimous opposition to a change in the law. The position of the Church has always been grounded in a concern for the welfare of the most vulnerable and the theological principles set out in scripture to care for those in need, the widow, orphan and stranger. The precarious funding of palliative and end of life care means not everyone has full and equal access to the care that they need, which is one of the reasons why it is wrong to legislate for assisted suicide. Most recently, the Rt Revd Lord Bishop of London gave written evidence to the Bill Committee on behalf of the Church of England. This evidence can be found here: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5901/cmpublic/TerminallyIllAdults/memo/TIAB28.htm

The House of Bishops and National Church Institutions are in regular dialogue with other churches and faiths in the UK. Leaders from a variety of faith traditions, including the Church of England, issued a joint statement in November 2024 against the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill and expressed their shared concerns with the legislation. You can read their letter here: https://www.churchofengland.org/media/press-releases/faith-leaders-join-oppose-bill-legalise-assisted-suicide

In April 2025 the Bishops of London, Gloucester, Bristol, Dover, Stepney, Croydon and Aston issued a joint letter with 105 other senior women of faith to highlight the impact of the Terminally Ill Adults Bill on vulnerable women

https://www.theosthinktank.co.uk/in-the-news/2025/04/04/open-letter-from-women-of-faith-on-assisted-dying

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Solicitor General, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of making her advice to Cabinet colleagues on the legal implications of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill available in the public interest.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The fact that the Law Officers have advised or have not advised, and the content of their advice, must not be disclosed outside government without their authority. This principle is known as the Law Officers’ Convention and can be found at paragraphs 21.27 of Erskine May and 5.14 of the Ministerial Code. Such authority is rarely given since it would generally not be in the public interest to do so as it undermines the Convention

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Solicitor General, whether he has produced legal advice on the compatibility of (a) Article 2 of the European Commission on Human Rights, (b) probate law and (c) civil procedure rules with the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Law Officers’ Convention applies to advice which may or may not have been given by, or requested of, the Law Officers, and it applies to your question.

The Convention can be found at paragraph 21.27 of Erskine May:

“By long-standing convention, observed by successive Governments, the fact of, and substance of advice from, the law officers of the Crown is not disclosed outside government. This convention is referred to in paragraph [5.14] of the Ministerial Code [updated on 6 November 2024]. The purpose of this convention is to enable the Government to obtain frank and full legal advice in confidence.”

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the (a) impact, (b) economic and (c) equalities assessments for the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill before 8 May 2025.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government expects to publish the impact assessment and equalities impact assessment before Members consider the Bill on Report.

Found: Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: HL Bill 112 of 2024–25

Found: Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill 2024-25: Progress of the bill

Hold a referendum for the public to vote on assisted dying. I believe the public should have the right to vote on whether the assisted dying legislation, the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, should pass.

Found: public should have the right to vote on whether the assisted dying legislation, the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill

Found: The potential for the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill to pass and significantly to change the

Scientific APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: With the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill being hotly debated and due to return to the House

Down Syndrome APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: She summarised: Kim Leadbeater MP has proposed a Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.

Found: Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: impact assessment

Found: Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: impact assessment

Found: Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: equality impact assessment

Found: Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: ECHR memorandum

Found: On 16 October 2024, Kim Leadbeater MP introduced the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill 2024-25

Found: SUPPLEMENTARY LEGISLATIVE CONSENT MEMORANDUM (MEMORANDUM NO 2) TERMINALLY ILL ADULTS (END OF LIFE) BILL

Found: www.rcp.ac.uk/wales RCP’s evidence to the Legislative Consent Memorandum: Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill

Found: Committee to consider and report on the Legislative Consent Memorandum on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill

Found: consider and report on the Supplementary Legislative Consent Memorandum (No.2) on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill

Found: LEGISLATIVE CONSENT MEMORANDUM TERMINALLY ILL ADULTS (END OF LIFE) BILL 1.

Found: 23 May 2025 Dear colleague Legislative Consent Memorandum for the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill

Found: Committee to consider and report on the Legislative Consent Memorandum on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill

Found: 742641 hMp://www.adss.cymru Dear Peter, RE: Legislative Consent Memorandum – Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill

Found: Legislative Consent Memorandum for the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill Response to Request

Found: you for the opportunity to respond to the Legislative Consent Memorandum for the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill

Found: 1 Legislative Consent Memorandum for the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill – BASW

Found: and Social Care Committee engagement on Legislative Consent Memorandum for the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill

Found: @senedd.wales 10 June 2025 Dear Peter, Legislative Consent Memorandum for the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill

Found: Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill Legislative Consent Motion

Question

Will the Cabinet Secretary set out how much correspondence the Welsh Government has received from a) health professionals; and b) the public, regarding the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, and for each category how many were supportive of the Bill and how many against?

Answered by Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care

The Welsh Government does not routinely track all forms of correspondence for specific reserved policy areas. However, I have received five pieces of correspondence about the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill from the public in the last year, setting out a variety of views and information.