Schedule 3 — Property and affairs: supplementary provisions
Orders of the Day — Mental Capacity Bill
6:42 pm
Mr Tim Boswell (Shadow Minister, Economic Affairs; Daventry, Conservative)
My hon. Friend raises the issue of what will come back from the other place. Given the state of the Bill at the moment, I hope that Ministers and Whips will take very seriously the need to involve this House as well.
The wider issues of reservation on human rights grounds also referred to by the Joint Committee include restraint, not just in the context of Bournewood; advance decisions; the conditions for research, which we have just been discussing; the need to see clear and unequivocal evidence in writing of the Government's commitment to deal with issues around motives for ending life, which has been expressed almost universally in this House; and other conditions of care, including nutrition and hydration. Those are central issues.
This afternoon's proceedings did little good to the reputation of the Department or the Minister, I am sorry to say. I hope that he and others have learned their lesson about the credibility of the Bill. It is right, proper and essential to consult all relevant bodies, but the prior consultees should always be the Members of this House and their interests in the matter.