Baroness Chapman: My Lords, as one of the latest recruits to this House, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude for the help and support of your Lordships and the staff of this House. In every other new environment that I have entered, either as a volunteer or an employee, once there I had to work on being accepted. It was a little confusing, but a true revelation, to discover that membership and...
Baroness Chapman: This group of amendments is designed to protect people who are unable to or have difficulty in communicating verbally, whether they lack mental capacity or not. Every effort must be made to ensure that they have the opportunity to "speak" by their usual means. That may not mean speaking with their voice; it may be a speaking computer linked to a wheelchair—that is, if a person is not in his...
Baroness Chapman: I think that the noble Lord, Lord Carter, was reading from my notes over my shoulder, because he said just about everything that I was going to say. Indeed the Minister and I had a discussion this morning about advance decisions and I too think that this will be a formal recording of positive decisions requesting treatment. I hope that we will find a way to deal with that.
Baroness Chapman: I have tabled Amendment No. 22, because I feel that many people with physical or mental impairments or with a condition causing diminishing mental capacity are made to feel that other people know best what their needs are. They may be medical professionals, social workers or members of their own family. Someone judged as having little or no mental capacity is much more vulnerable to agreeing...
Baroness Chapman: My name is added to Amendment No. 87 in this group. It is designed to ensure that a rash or uninformed statement made 20 years ago cannot today create circumstances which could result in life-saving treatment being withdrawn and possibly death. Many people make verbal statements to the effect of, "I wouldn't want to live if that happened to me", or even a glib statement such as, "If that...
Baroness Chapman: moved Amendment No. 108: Page 17, line 39, leave out "or" and insert "and"
Baroness Chapman: I can see that there is an argument for research to be carried out for "the greater good". However, I feel that we should not encourage a "we can so we will" attitude to research. Although the Minister has allayed some of my concerns, we must remember that in 60 years' time we will be judged on how we cared and protected the most vulnerable members of our society. Do we want to be remembered...
Baroness Chapman: I thank the Minister for that answer. I ask her to go away and think again because a lot of organisations are extremely worried about this part of the Bill. I beg leave to withdraw the amendment.
Baroness Chapman: I very politely waited to speak to Amendment No. 194, but I did not and missed my moment. I shall not be that polite again. Amendment No. 195 is designed to safeguard those who lack capacity from others who become over-zealous and overstep the scope of their legal powers. Not only does it allow the person who lacks capacity, or indeed is alleged to lack capacity, legally to question a...
Baroness Chapman: moved Amendment No. 9: Page 3, line 39, at end insert— "( ) Nothing in this Act shall permit the withdrawing or withholding from any person of nutrition or hydration, howsoever provided, save where the provision thereof would itself cause harm or burden to the person greater than if the nutrition or hydration were not provided."
Baroness Chapman: My Lords, before I talk about the amendments tabled in my name, I wish to thank the noble Baronesses, Lady Ashton and Lady Andrews, for the government amendments that were put forward and accepted by this House on Tuesday evening and this morning. Those anti-discrimination amendments will help to protect those who are most at risk from misrepresentation in this Bill. Those amendments, plus...
Baroness Chapman: My Lords, I thank the Minister for her very detailed response. It is not my intention to overturn the Bland judgment, and I understand what she is saying. I still have concerns about non-dying patients having some treatments withdrawn but, because I hear what the noble Baroness is saying, I shall go away and rethink the matter. For now, I beg leave to withdraw the amendment.
Baroness Chapman: My Lords, the amendment gives me great cause for concern. Throughout our debates, I have argued for a person's whole life to be considered. If the amendment is accepted, end-of-life decisions would become medical decisions, based on the person's condition and nothing else. That would jeopardise the lives of many disabled people. I have been very vocal about my worries about the Bill. Having...
Baroness Chapman: My Lords, I have read the report we are now discussing. There are several issues that I could talk about, but I shall start by telling your Lordships about my experience of terminal illness. My mum died of cancer 16 years ago. She was diagnosed with it 11 months earlier. It was not a pleasant experience. To watch someone you love die is indescribable. When it became obvious that the cancer...
Baroness Chapman: My Lords—
Baroness Chapman: My Lords, will Her Majesty's Government ensure that disabled children will be fully protected from abuse and that their rights to inclusive, fully supported education will be upheld?
Baroness Chapman: My Lords, this Bill has caused me to look at my own life and how other people perceive my life. I do not often discuss my condition because it is obvious and I do not want to be defined by it. Today I feel that I must talk about it—osteogenesis imperfecta. In plain English, this means that my bones were imperfect from the beginning. The consequence is that I have very brittle bones. I...
Baroness Chapman: asked Her Majesty's Government: When Sections 32 to 36 of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (taxi accessibility regulations) will be brought into force.
Baroness Chapman: My Lords, I thank the noble Lord for his Answer. Can the Government guarantee that they will implement the regulations by the Summer Recess? These sections could then be enforceable for taxis that are already licensed to carry wheelchair users.
Baroness Chapman: moved Amendment No. 2: After Clause 49, insert the following new Clause— "Carrying of passengers in wheelchairs in vehicles providing local services (1) Section 36 of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (c.50) (carrying of passengers in wheelchairs) is amended as follows. (2) In subsection (1)(b) for "taxi" substitute "vehicle". (3) After subsection (1) insert— "(1A) This section also...