Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
Debate between Lord Polak and Lord LemosFriday 23rd January 2026
(1 week, 1 day ago)
Lords ChamberRead Full debate Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill 2024-26 View all Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill 2024-26 Debates Read Hansard Text Amendment Paper: HL Bill 112-VII(a) Amendments for Committee (Supplementary to the Seventh Marshalled List) - (22 Jan 2026)
Lord Polak (Con)
My Lords, I have great respect for the noble Lord, Lord Birt, and his practical ideas are very sensible, but I think that there is a much more fundamental problem that probably frustrates him. The Government are hiding from us what in fact they want to do on this Bill. I do not blame the noble and learned Lord, Lord Falconer, for this. We are being encouraged to pass a Bill that, as we have heard, will put enormous obligations on the health service’s budget and people, but we are being given no direction by the Government. Will they pay? Do they have the money? Do they have the trained staff to deal with it? While HMG hide behind this flawed Private Member’s Bill, noble Lords are being urged to legislate blind. It is not remotely acceptable or responsible for noble Lords to make life and death decisions when there is no clarity about the future intentions of the Government. I say to the noble Lord, Lord Birt, that this is a great idea, but who pays for it?
Lord Lemos (Lab)
I apologise but I must remind noble Lords of the guidance of the House, which is that noble Lords should not summarise or repeat others at length. I know I try to find a different way to say this every week, and broadly speaking I fail. I also realise that noble Lords have spent a lot of time preparing their remarks, but it is my duty to remind them of the guidance of the House.
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
Debate between Lord Polak and Lord LemosFriday 21st November 2025
(2 months, 1 week ago)
Lords ChamberRead Full debate Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill 2024-26 View all Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill 2024-26 Debates Read Hansard Text Read Debate Ministerial Extracts Amendment Paper: HL Bill 112-II(b) Amendments for Committee (Supplementary to the Second Marshalled List) - (21 Nov 2025)
Lord Polak (Con)
My Lords, I want to respond to the noble Lord, Lord Griffiths, who is a member of the Labour Party. With respect, I would like the Committee to listen.
Lord in Waiting/Government Whip (Lord Lemos) (Lab)
Does my noble friend Lady Hayter want to make one point? Then we can hear from the noble Lord, Lord Polak.
Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town (Lab)
My one point is that it would very nice if somebody who supports the Bill could also have a hearing.