Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill

Baroness Merron states the Government is neutral on the Private Members’ Bill and did not participate in drafting the GMC’s draft guidance, which is independent of government. The GMC briefing notes that assisted dying is not being considered in the review and would be updated if the law changes, with service delivery plans to follow Royal Assent if the Bill passes. Amendment 888 would extend Clause 31 to Scotland as well as England and Wales, allowing a Scottish worker to bring a detriment claim for decisions about providing assistance; policy is for the Sponsors to determine, with further details available from them.

The amendments propose a comprehensive, tightly regulated framework for terminally ill adults seeking assisted dying, including a multi‑stage, panel‑based assessment process and eligibility decision overseen by coordinating and independent doctors. They introduce strong safeguarding measures—independent advocates for disabled people, coercion checks, capacity assessments, and an independent commissioner with reporting duties—plus extensive governance and review provisions. The package also covers the regulation and licensing of the lethal substances, the organisation of services (NHS and private providers), patient support, and potential expiry or renewal of the Act, with considerations for England, Wales and devolved arrangements.

The supplementary memorandum notes an amendment to clause 31 that would require training linked to the delegated powers in clauses 8(7), 11(9) and 26(2)(b) to be provided on an opt-in basis, with no duty on registered medical practitioners to opt in or to have the training. It also clarifies that this amendment does not change the regulation-making powers and reflects the sponsor's policy choice; it does not affect parliamentary procedure.

Baroness Lawlor’s amendment to Clause 8 would require an independent consultant psychiatrist, for residents of care or nursing homes, to certify before a first declaration can be made that the person has capacity and is not suffering from a mental disorder likely to impair judgement or understanding the consequences of taking the approved life-ending substance. The psychiatrist must be independent of the nursing home.

An Lords amendment to Clause 8 would add a new condition: a person may only make a first declaration for end-of-life assistance after being approved for fast-track NHS continuing healthcare funding by the relevant authority. The accompanying explanatory note says the amendment seeks evidence that the person’s condition is deteriorating and entering the terminal phase before assisted dying can proceed.

These amendments by the Lord Bishop of Gloucester would: (1) bar any actions authorised by the Bill from being carried out in prisons; (2) ensure that if assisted deaths occur in prison they remain subject to coronial investigations; and (3) require the annual report to record how many prisoner applicants sought assistance, how many progressed to the panel and were approved, and how many resulted in the person being assisted to die in prison.

This Lords’ publication is the Thirteenth Marshalled List of amendments to the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, published on 25 March 2026, outlining dozens of proposed changes to the Bill. The amendments seek to strengthen safeguards (capacity, coercion, safeguarding), create new oversight bodies (neutral advisers, an Assisted Dying Review Panel, navigators), and expand governance and transparency (registers, reporting, audits). They also proposal regulatory frameworks for the lethal substance, service delivery (including private providers and NHS considerations), and the governance of data, timings, and potential expiry or renewal of the Act.

Baroness Lawlor has tabled amendments to the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Clauses 7 and 10) to tighten how the record of the initial discussion and first assessment is created and sent. The changes require online records and submission to the Commissioner within a week (with some deadlines specified as by midnight the same day or the same week). The amendments also require the Commissioner to be included in the record.

This Lords publication is the Twelfth Marshalled List of amendments for the Committee stage of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, outlining a large number of proposed changes. The amendments seek to overhaul governance and safeguards around assisted dying—introducing new bodies (an independent monitor, Assisted Dying Review Panels, independent advocates), expanding multidisciplinary assessments and palliative care referrals, tightening eligibility (capacity, coercion, residency), and regulating who can participate (opt-in doctors, licensing of substances and providers) with extensive reporting, both for England and Wales and for devolved matters.