The Senedd has voted in favour of granting legislative consent to Westminster’s Assisted Dying Bill following a debate held in the chamber last Tuesday.
Members debated whether to approve a Legislative Consent Motion (LCM) linked to the proposed legislation currently progressing through the UK Parliament. The motion was ultimately passed, meaning that if the Bill receives Royal Assent, assisted dying services would be made available through the Welsh NHS as well as in England.
If the Senedd had rejected legislative consent, assisted dying services would not have been delivered through the Welsh NHS. Instead, any provision in Wales would have been limited to private arrangements, depending on the final shape of the legislation.
The debate was described by participants as both passionate and respectful. The Presiding Officer extended proceedings beyond the originally allocated time to allow additional Members who wished to contribute the opportunity to speak.
Among those taking part was Janet Finch-Saunders, Senedd Member for Aberconwy, who raised concerns about the timing of the vote.
She said:
“Yesterday’s debate in the Senedd was one of the most passionate and respected ones that I have ever took part as a member of the Senedd.
I have had many deeply passionate and emotional emails and correspondence with constituents regarding this matter and yesterday we gave the debate the respect it deserved.
I believe the vote came along too early in the legislation process. Especially, given the timing. This Private Members Bill has already missed out on earlier, expert witness evidence being provided. And the bill is still going through the House of Lords, with over 1,000 amendments yet to be debated. It then returns to the UK Parliament for further scrutiny and deliberations.
As the Senedd, I believe we should only vote on completed and passed legislation, due to the fact that the legislation could look a lot different after all those amendments had been debated and conclusions drawn
I fear the LCM having passed last night may lead to a slippery slope in terms of due process and I do not wish to see other examples of this going forwards.”
The Assisted Dying Bill remains under consideration at Westminster and continues its passage through the House of Lords, where amendments are being debated. Should the legislation complete all parliamentary stages and receive Royal Assent, it would establish a legal framework for assisted dying in England and Wales.
The Senedd’s vote does not itself change the law but signals Wales’ consent for the provisions, if enacted, to apply within devolved health services.