Medical Innovation Bill [HL]

Lord Davies of Stamford Excerpts

Friday 12th December 2014 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Jolly]

Perhaps I can help my noble friend. The Bill is about the doctor making a decision about treatments for patients that are innovative and untested. If a doctor has a conversation with a patient about something that is complementary or alternative, that is a slightly different situation, and not the sort of situation that the Bill addresses.

[Lord Davies of Stamford (Lab)]

Before the noble Baroness sits down, the word “responsible” has played a key part in the debates on the Bill, and she has used that term herself about a dozen times this morning. Do the Government consider that Clause 1(3) adequately defines that word; or, otherwise, that the word “responsible” in a medical context is adequately defined in the existing jurisprudence—which it may be; I am not a lawyer and am not familiar with that jurisprudence? Or do the Government think that the Bill might gain from a specific definition of “responsible” at some point in the Bill?

[Baroness Jolly]

My Lords, to put a definition of an abstract term such as “responsible” in the Bill would be quite a considerable challenge. I think that the Government have covered the issue through the first clause.