Assisted dying Bill committee to hear from chief medical officer Chris Whitty
He is one of around 50 witnesses due to appear across three days this week.
MPs scrutinising the assisted dying Bill will hear from England’s chief medical officer Professor Sir Chris Whitty as they meet for the first day of oral evidence on the proposed legislation.
Sir Chris is one of about 50 witnesses who will give evidence across three days this week as a committee of 23 MPs prepares to look in detail at each part of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.
The Bill could see terminally ill adults in England and Wales with under six months to live legally allowed to end their lives, subject to approval by two doctors and a High Court judge.
Also due to appear on Tuesday are the chief nursing officer for England, Duncan Burton, and representatives from doctors’ union the British Medical Association (BMA) and regulator the General Medical Council (GMC).
In the afternoon, former director of public prosecutions Sir Max Hill, who has previously stated his support for the Bill, is due to appear as well as retired High Court judge Sir Nicholas Mostyn.
Kim Leadbeater, the Labour MP behind the Bill, said the committee will hear from people with a “wide range of views” on the Bill, “some in favour in principle, others against, and many with a neutral stance”.
In a letter to MPs this week, she said: “However, they have been selected above all for their expertise and experience and the contribution they can make to help guide the committee towards whatever amendments may be needed to make the Bill as effective and workable as possible.
“I want to reassure colleagues that the whole committee is determined to work collaboratively and respectfully to reflect the very positive debate we had at second reading and to ensure that the best possible Bill is ready when it returns to the House at report stage later in the year.”
When the committee met formally for its first session last week, chairman Sir Roger Gale reminded members of the need to be “civil and courteous” to each other.
There were tense exchanges as some committee members disagreed over part of the session – discussing the suitability of witnesses – being held in private.
It is now expected the Royal College of Psychiatrists will be formally added to the witness list after a majority on the committee last week voted against hearing from them in oral evidence.
The panel is expected to start line-by-line scrutiny of the Bill a week later than originally planned, on February 11, to give MPs more time to consider the “large” amount of written evidence so far put forward to be considered.
Committee stage is likely to then last a week longer to account for the later start to the formal scrutiny, meaning overall timetabling would not be affected.
No date has been given yet for the Bill to return to the Commons for further debate by all MPs at report stage but it is likely to be towards the end of April.
While the Bill passed second reading stage after a lengthy debate in the Commons before Christmas, some MPs who voted yes said they might not continue their support if they are not convinced of strong safeguards around aspects including potential coercion.
The Bill will face further scrutiny and votes in the House of Commons and the House of Lords, meaning any change in the law would not be agreed until later this year at the earliest.
Ms Leadbeater has previously said it is likely to be a further two years from a law being passed for an assisted dying service to be in place.
