Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Nineteeth sitting)

Liz Saville Roberts Excerpts

Committee stage
Wednesday 5th March 2025 Public Bill Committees

Given the importance of assessing capacity and the amount of time the Committee has already spent debating it, by inserting the wording contained in amendment 1 we would add an extra protection in that regard into the legislation. We would also ensure that the independent doctor is appropriately qualified to conduct complex capacity assessments. I hope that Members will agree this amendment is a simple but necessary strengthening of the provisions in the Bill, and a way to protect resources within the NHS, and that they will feel able to support it. I am not expecting a complete change of mindset—the Minister may already have prepared the decision for this—but I would love Members to consider this issue in further discussions.

[Liz Saville Roberts (Dwyfor Meirionnydd) (PC)]

For the record, amendment 428 is separate from amendment 427, which I discussed this morning. It is part of a progression, however, from amendment 413 to clause 4, which would have recognised a

“preferred language of Welsh or English”,

to amendment 427 to clause 5, which would have meant that “all reasonable steps” were taken to ensure that the co-ordinating doctor would have “fluent proficiency” in Welsh and English.

Amendment 428 would apply the same concept to clause 8 to ensure that “all reasonable steps” are taken for the independent doctor to have “fluent proficiency” in Welsh. As other colleagues and I are due to have further conversations with the Minister and the promoter of the Bill, I will not be moving this amendment, but it is important that the process and the rationale behind it are on the record.