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Assisted Dying for the Terminally Ill Bill [HL]

My Lords, I can explain the delay in asking for a Second Reading. I was given very few Fridays. My problem was that the noble and learned Lord, Lord Mackay, was not available on the days that I wished in March and earlier. In the end we chose 12 May—which, being my birthday, was hardly the date I would have wished to select—in order to the meet the needs of the noble and learned Lord, Lord Mackay. In fairness, he told me initially—and there was correspondence between us—that, in his view, it was not essential that he should be at the Second Reading. However, it seemed to me that the chairman of our Select Committee should be given the courtesy of the opportunity to be present at the hearing on this Bill.