Tynwald to debate changes to assisted dying bill

Amendments to the Isle of Man's Assisted Dying Bill in response to concerns raised by the UK Ministry of Justice will be brought to Tynwald.

Members of the House of Keys (MHKs) rejected a bid by Chris Thomas for a report on issues including the implementation and funding for the service should it become law, and another by Tim Glover to have the bill referred to the government.

Instead MHKs approved the bill's originator, Alex Allinson, bringing forward the amendments, which have been tabled for June.

Last month it was confirmed the UK Lord Chancellor had declined to recommend the bill for Royal Assent due to concerns over safeguards.

The bill would give adults living on the island with less than a year to live the right to choose to end their lives.

Thomas had argued that "at least" the bill was "fundamentally flawed" and the degree of scrutiny given to it was less than would have been given to a government bill.

The report would have provided practical answers about how it would operate, who it would be delivered by, how it would be paid for, and how it would link in with palliative care, he said.

"We don't necessarily need to be first, we don't necessarily need to be now, we just need to get it right," he said.

Calling for the bill to instead be referred to the government for consideration, Glover said it was important to "get the matter done properly".

That would take it forward "in a serious and responsible way" rather than "trying to rush it through Tynwald", he said.

However, Allinson said the original motion would place additional work on civil servants, adding that the "bill we passed is not flawed".

He said the amendments had been drawn up by the Attorney General's Chambers in response to its conversations with the Ministry of Justice.

Politicians had been discussing assisted dying for two decades, he said, adding: "This is not rushed, we have spent a huge amount of time getting here."

MHKs approved the amended motion, which said members respected the UK government's view that issues including the independent monitoring of assisted deaths, safeguards against coercion, and capacity "must be addressed directly on the face of the bill to comply with the European Convention on Human Rights".

It also tasked Allinson with bringing forward the amendments - along with an explanatory memorandum - to be debated by Tynwald.

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