Oral question asked in the House of Commons, by Lord Harper (Conservative). It was answered on Thursday, 26 November 2009 on behalf of the Solicitor General.

Assisted Suicide

Question: I am grateful for that answer. One of the things that concerns me about the DPP's interim guidance is that serious disability is one of the factors that he will consider in assessing whether a prosecution is not in the public interest. I wonder about the message that that sends out to people with a disability about the extent to which we want a society that helps them live independently and gives them a good quality of life rather than encourages them to take their own lives.

Answer: I cannot for one minute think that any innuendo of that kind could be appropriately drawn. The court asked the DPP effectively to list, as a policy, all the factors that were capable of being taken into account. That is as far as the reference to disability goes. It would probably be odd to leave out disability caused by, for example, life-limiting illness in a case of someone assisting a suicide. The cases are complex and sensitive, but no innuendo such as that suggested by the hon. Gentleman could possibly be drawn. The DPP is consulting publicly to try to get every factor and to balance them. As the hon. Gentleman well knows, it was not the DPP's wish to produce any guidelines. Let me emphasise again that each such case, when it arises, will be considered carefully on its merits.

Secondary information