Dear
SPUC supporter,
I've just landed in Spain for a short break, but i wanted to let you know that while the country has been preoccupied with the Budget, the Government has announced that it is allocating another TEN days for the assisted suicide bill to be debated in the Lords.
In addition to the two dates already allocated in December, the Bill will now be scrutinised on:
9 January
16 January
23 January
30 January
6 February
27 February
13 March
20 March
27 March
24 April
On one hand, only allocating four days was always patently inadequate for a bill of such seismic importance. On the other, it is hard for the Government to maintain that they are neutral on the Bill, while devoting so much time to it. This change represents an extra eight Fridays on which the House of Lords is conducting business - a large percentage of Fridays between New Year and Easter. As parliamentary expert Nikki da Costa explains, "Lords usually sit only one Friday a month. Typically there are about ten a year. £10m cost for 1 PMB".
Lord Falconer and his allies at Dignity in Dying may think that this will help them get the Bill through. But we know that the more scrutiny it receives, the more glaringly obvious its flaws become.
This also gives us more time to lobby peers. Please keep writing as many letters as you v can. And please thank peers who have been speaking out against it (you could send a quick message of support to any anti-Bill peers you have already been in touch with). You can do so via the link below.
|
|
