Lord Falconer of Thoroton — Hansard

Lords Proceedings 13 July 2026

Civil Service Pensions

My Lords, the Minister, who has been incredibly helpful in relation to this, has said that £9.9 million so far has been withheld from Capita as a result of this absolutely dreadful scandal. Will the Minister give us an approximate amount of money that Capita has received, gross, from the Government …

Lords Proceedings 9 July 2026

Venezuela Earthquakes

I also welcome the support given by the British Government and I congratulate the Minister, who will have played a personal part in making sure that there has been co-ordination in relation to it. Picking up on the point made by the noble Lord, Lord Bellingham, Venezuela will have long-term needs in…

Lords Debate 24 April 2026 18 contributions

Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill

My Lords, today is our final day scheduled for the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill. I am despondent that this Bill, so important to so many, has failed not on its merits but as a result of procedural wrangling. There is no prospect that the Bill can get through this House today or before Pr…

My Lords, “The Lord moves in mysterious ways” is a well-known phrase. But today perhaps it is better to say, “The Lords move in mysterious ways”. I came back from the Council of Europe specifically to continue debate on the Bill, because I believe that scrutiny is necessary. I thought that the purpo…

+16 more contributions in this session

Lords Debate 27 March 2026 32 contributions

Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill

I am not sure what further guarantees the noble Baroness and the noble Lord have in mind, because they will know from the Bill that Schedule 3 amends the Employment Rights Act 1996. It incorporates that anybody who is being prejudiced against because they will not participate in terminal illness mat…

The noble Baroness, Lady Gerada, made it clear that the Royal College of General Practitioners was not in favour of a register. It may well be in favour of an opt-in process, but not a register.

+30 more contributions in this session

Lords Debate 20 March 2026 33 contributions

Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill

It was asked to vote on the principle of whether this should be dealt with by the Welsh Senedd, because one of the amendments to the Motion for legislative consent was that it believes that “Wales should have full powers to choose to legislate or not regarding the legality and implementation of ass…

My Lords—

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Lords Debate 18 March 2026 4 contributions

Crime and Policing Bill

I am obliged. Assisted dying feels quite pacific in comparison with the debate we have just had. This is my amendment, which I do not intend to press. It is the product of discussions with the BMA. It was tabled in Committee in my name and in the name of the noble Baroness, Lady Finlay of Llandaff. …

Can I finish my explanation, then hear from the Minister and then take it from there? I have had a very useful discussion with the Minister, who said that the Government took the view that the amendment was premature before Royal Assent in relation to the two jurisdictions, and I accept that. She sa…

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Lords Debate 13 March 2026 25 contributions

Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill

My Lords, in the course of this debate, the noble Baroness, Lady Coffey, referred movingly to the death of her parents. I pay tribute to her courage and her contribution. I will deal with the groups of amendments in themes. First, I will deal with appointments to the panels. The noble Lord, Lord Mu…

Can I just finish so that questions can be asked at the end? The noble Baroness, Lady Coffey, tabled Amendment 921ZB about King’s Counsel. The choice of who should be within the legal grouping is for the sponsors, not the Government. My noble friend Lady Levitt is right when she says that it is a qu…

+23 more contributions in this session

Lords Debate 27 February 2026 28 contributions

Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill

My Lords, first, I pay tribute to the noble Baroness, Lady Maclean, who referred to her own personal circumstances. Every one of us who have heard individual personal circumstances realises this is difficult to do, so I pay tribute to that and appreciate what she has done. Secondly, I ask the Commi…

Thirdly, I join with everybody in the Committee in deprecating vicious attacks on the noble Lord, Lord Sandhurst, and the noble Baroness, Lady Finlay. Any one of us who have been involved in this get vicious attacks outside. I agree with the noble Baroness, Lady Fox, when she says there is a slightl…

+26 more contributions in this session

Lords Proceedings 27 February 2026

Arrangement of Business

Can I respond to that? I am the person who has been complaining about filibustering on the radio. I moved a Motion on 8 January in which I set out in detail my position about the delays that have been made. I have complied completely, and continue to comply completely, with the courtesies of the Hou…

Lords Statutory Instrument 10 February 2026 3 contributions

Scotland Act 1998 (Modification of Schedule 5) Order 2026

I think the noble and learned Lord misunderstands what is being said here. It says that there is no impact expected in allowing the Scottish Parliament to be the body that allows regulations to be entered into in relation to devices or substances. That is all that is being said here.

It is an impact assessment only of this instrument, not the Scottish legislation.

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Lords Debate 6 February 2026 34 contributions

Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill

I pay tribute to the speeches of the noble Lords, Lord Farmer, Lord Shinkwin and Lord Shamash, all of whom referred to distressing personal circumstances. The Committee is grateful that people are willing to talk about these issues in this very difficult debate. This group of amendments concerns th…

May I just finish this? For example, the noble Baroness, Lady Lawlor, proposed 80% and two people expert in the area. The requirement of the Bill is that there should be a reasonable expectation that the person’s death will come within six months. That has to be approved by two separate doctors and…

+32 more contributions in this session

Lords Debate 30 January 2026 20 contributions

Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill

These questions relate to a detailed amendment to Clause 22 that I tabled yesterday, which provides for an independent advocate to help people who need assistance. I will read the questions the noble Baroness has given me—she did not give me notice of them, and I make no complaint about that at all—…

My Lords, I express my gratitude to everyone who has taken part in the debate. I make special mention of the noble Baroness, Lady Smith of Newnham, and the noble Lord, Lord Polak, who spoke about the death of their father and mother. Like everyone else, I am grateful for what may have been something…

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Lords Debate 23 January 2026 40 contributions

Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill

We are debating other people’s amendments at the moment. This debate has ranged pretty far and wide. These are not my amendments; they raise three particular issues. First, should there be a new organisation, an assisted dying help service? Secondly, should we ensure a different and more expeditious…

I support the safeguards in my Bill, because I think they are the right safeguards. So, I do not support the proposals made. The Bill has got to be properly safeguarded, and my Bill gets the balance right.

+38 more contributions in this session

Lords Debate 16 January 2026 21 contributions

Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill

I am grateful to all noble Lords who have contributed to this important debate. I will deal first with what the noble Lord, Lord Deben, said. Of course I have to listen and make changes; I am not Stonewall Jackson—a tactical genius who died at 39. I am a man trying to do his best aged 74, so I am in…

“Available” in that context obviously means available in a practical sense for that particular patient. If you live in the western part of England and there is palliative care of a particular sort available in a place you cannot access, that would not be “available”. My noble friend Lady Merron ind…

+19 more contributions in this session

Lords Debate 9 January 2026 17 contributions

Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill

I agree with the noble Lord’s assessment.

There is a detailed definition of “legal member” in paragraph 2(2) of Schedule 2.

+15 more contributions in this session

Lords Proceedings 9 January 2026

Arrangement of Business

My Lords, I express my own thanks to the staff, who have done an absolutely excellent job on the Fridays. I will also express my response to what happened yesterday. We now need a process that brings us to a conclusion. I believe that we need the usual channels to come up with that process. That pro…

Lords Debate 8 January 2026 5 contributions

Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill

My Lords, I am very aware that this is the last business we will consider today, so I shall keep my remarks brief. The assisted dying Bill commands strong views, both in favour and against, and is of huge public interest in terms of not only its content but its progress through our Parliament—and no…

My Lords, after the Leader of the House has spoken, I will call the noble Lord, Lord Shinkwin, who is taking part remotely.

+3 more contributions in this session

Lords Debate 12 December 2025 13 contributions

Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill

My Lords, I will act immediately on the words of the noble and learned Baroness, Lady Butler-Sloss, and respond briefly to what the noble Baroness, Lady Finlay, and my noble friend Lady Berger said. Basically, they are referring to the problem of people who lack capacity and who have had their liber…

I will just pick up what the noble Lord, Lord Kamall, is saying. I think he is saying that the Act has been updated over the years and that people have taken account of improvements. He is absolutely right; from my own knowledge of the working of the Act, he makes an absolutely valid point. I repea…

+11 more contributions in this session

Lords Proceedings 26 November 2025

Arrangement of Business

My Lords, may I, as the sponsor of the Bill, express my profound gratitude to the usual channels for making what amounts to 10 additional days available for the Bill? That means that, up to 24 April, there will be 16 days for consideration of the Bill through all its stages. May I also specifically …

Lords Debate 21 November 2025 19 contributions

Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill

My Lords, in this debate we heard deeply personal information from the noble Lords, Lord Empey, Lord McCrea, Lord Watts, Lord Polak, Lord Griffiths, Lord Carlile of Berriew and Lord Shinkwin, and the noble Baronesses, Lady Hollins, Lady Hayter and Lady Grey-Thompson. I express my profound respect fo…

The Bill makes it absolutely clear that it must be your own decision. Let us suppose that your views of the world are affected by the internet and that you are ill and an organisation is urging you to commit suicide, that organisation should be liable if that happens. In Amendment 49, the noble Bar…

+17 more contributions in this session

Lords Debate 14 November 2025 14 contributions

Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill

My Lords, I apologise, but I rise to raise a procedural issue crucial to the reputation of your Lordships’ House. When I blocked out my diary for the Fridays scheduled for Committee on this Bill, I did so in good faith. I assumed not only that your Lordships’ House would recognise the value of the v…

My Lords—

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Lords Proceedings 13 November 2025

Arrangement of Business

My Lords, I echo what the Chief Whip has said in relation to the enormous amount of work that has gone into producing the Marshalled List. I also strongly echo what he has said about the temper of the debate, which must do credit to the House. Thirdly, I invite any Member of the House who wishes to …

Lords Debate 19 September 2025 5 contributions

Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill

My Lords, it is indeed an honour to open the second day of our debate on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill. I pay tribute to my honourable friend Kim Leadbeater, who represents the seat in which I was born, for bringing the Bill to us from the Commons. I thank my noble and learned friend …

I thank the noble and learned Lord for yielding. I simply wanted to say that a number of Members of the other place have said that the Bill did not receive proper scrutiny in the other place. They have also said that they expected that it would receive scrutiny in this place because that is what we …

+3 more contributions in this session

Lords Debate 12 September 2025 2 contributions

Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill

My Lords, this issue has been debated for years, particularly in this House. The House is full this morning; that reflects the seriousness with which your Lordships take this issue. For the first time, we have before us a Bill on assisted dying, which has come from the other place. I know that we wi…

My Lords, I thank the noble and learned Lord, Lord Falconer of Thoroton, for the comprehensive way in which he presented this Bill. In opening the debate for the Official Opposition, let me be clear that, as a Front Bench, we have no collective view on either the principle of terminally ill people r…

Lords Oral Questions 7 May 2025

Criminal Cases Review Commission

I thank my noble and learned friend. It was of course an independent board which was appointed by my right honourable friend the Lord Chancellor. She acted on the advice of the independent board, and the chair of that organisation stepped down. My noble and learned friend asked about the Lucy Letby …