MPs urge government to grant extra time for assisted dying debate
MPs have been urging the government to grant more Parliamentary time to debate assisted dying.
Kim Leadbeater has brought this forward as a private member’s bill, a mechanism which allows backbench MPs to propose new legislation.
This has been traditionally used to change the law around matters of conscience, such as with abortion and equal marriage, as it can be a free vote without any government influence.
However, this means there is no Whitehall support in drafting the legislation and MPs get less time for debate.
Shipley MP Anna Dixon told The Yorkshire Post that “the law courts have made it very clear they are looking to Parliament” to legislate on assisted dying.
“The public expect us as Parliamentarians to do a good job of this, so my concern is that through a private member’s bill route we can’t do that,” she said.
Ms Dixon revealed that a number of MPs have been asking ministers “are there ways in which the government could create more time within the Parliamentary week for the House of Commons to debate it”.
She explained: “There are a number of procedural things that the route of a private member’s bill doesn’t necessarily give me, as a parliamentarian, confidence that it will have the proper debate, scrutiny and evidence that we are making the proper decision.
“Least satisfactorily, from the view of the law courts and indeed the public, would be for this to fail because people weren’t confident with the process.”
Commons Leader Lucy Powell attempted to reassure MPs by saying if it clears its first hurdle, the legislation would “likely” spend “several weeks” at committee stage at which MPs can table amendments.
The bill would then not be expected to clear its final stages in the Commons until April next year at the earliest and the Government would ensure it is “workable” if supported by MPs, Ms Powell added.