Labour Scottish Secretary not against the ‘principle’ of assisted dying law
dailyrecord.co.ukIan Murray has said he is not against the principle of assisted dying amid concerns the latest Bill is not within Holyrood’s powers.
The Scottish Secretary refused to be drawn on whether he would issue a Section 30 order to allow MSPs to pass the legislation, but did not rule it out.He said the UK Government would have to wait until the Bill is voted on.The Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill has been brought forward by Liberal Democrat MSP Liam McArthur.
The legislation would allow terminally ill adults to request an end to their life.Ahead of the legislation being voted on, the Scottish Government has warned that Holyrood may be unable to pass the Bill.
Health Secretary Neil Gray said in a letter to the health committee that aspects of the legislation may require permission from the UK Government.A “particular concern” stems from the legislation giving powers to ministers to specify the drug that would be used for assisted deaths – an area where legislation is reserved to Westminster.While the Scotland Secretary could grant a Section 30 order – which would allow Holyrood to legislate in this area – the Scottish Government said this could take between 12 and 18 months to arrange.They adding this would need to be completed before MSPs could grant final approval to the Bill.
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