Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill

Debate between Lord Sandhurst and Lord Weir of Ballyholme

Committee stage
Friday 27th February 2026 Lords Chamber

[Lord Sandhurst (Con)]

That is what I am hoping. Thank you very much.

[Lord Weir of Ballyholme (DUP)]

I rise to speak to two amendments in my name in this group, Amendments 496A and 496F. At the outset, I want to give an apology to the sponsor and to the Committee as a whole, in line with the Chief Whip’s procedural recommendations. Given that I suspect that this will carry on at least until 6 pm, I will unfortunately have to leave almost certainly before the end of this debate to catch the last flight home to Northern Ireland.

Both these amendments, like a number of the amendments that I have submitted, deal with concerns that have been raised with me by disability groups. We are aware, again without reiterating the detail of this, that a wide range of concerns has been raised by a large number of groups representing the disabled, which vary between having some concerns and total opposition to the Bill. As we know, no disabled group has expressed support for the Bill. Where concerns are being raised, it is important and incumbent that, where we can try to improve the Bill by trying to take on those concerns, we listen to them.

I will deal with the two amendments briefly, Amendment 496A would add an additional ground to the grounds for reconsideration: failure to adequately consider or to be inconsistent with evidence of disability-related vulnerabilities. I suppose the aim of this is to provoke an examination of the extent to which reconsideration focuses on the particular needs of the disabled. It may not necessarily be the route that I would pursue on Report, but the purpose of this is to ensure that the commissioner, when looking at this, focuses explicitly on the impact on disability and vulnerability.

Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill

Debate between Lord Sandhurst and Lord Weir of Ballyholme

Committee stage
Friday 23rd January 2026 Lords Chamber

[Lord Weir of Ballyholme (DUP)]

Is it not also the case, if we are looking at assisted dying much more from a justice prism, that one of the broader, important elements to establish, where death has occurred, is whether there has been any criminal action or intent, in terms of the administration but also in a situation where people coerce somebody to die? That is another reason why, if this is to happen, it should sit much more with the justice side of things than with the health side.

[Lord Sandhurst (Con)]

I agree entirely with the noble Lord. That is why at the start, perhaps briefly and elliptically, I talked about bad agencies and people. That is not the health service’s primary role. It will happen from time to time. I know a medical professional —I mentioned this at Second Reading—who has a relative in charge of safeguarding in a major London trust. One of the concerns they have, and what they have to deal with from day to day, is families who are not all united in their support for an elderly and tiresome relative and would often, in fact, like them helped on their way. I will not say more, but I think the point is clear that this structural point is a major failing in the Bill.