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Health and Social Care Bill

I apologise for being a little late. My committee was considering organ donation, so there are some comparisons in relation to the involvement of relatives. Our inquiry in Sub-Committee G of the European Union Committee shows the complexity of involving or not involving families. When it becomes a practicality, many of the questions identified so eloquently by the noble Earl will come to the fore. I hope that the Government will consider the question of, for example, who owns a dead body, as there is no legal definition. I am sure that relatives believe that they have some sort of ownership. I realise that all this is in the context of serious issues, but I am uneasy about a magistrate making a decision of such significance. My years in the Food Standards Agency taught me that there are some situations in which risk is paramount, although small. Who measures that risk and the balance of paramouncy against proportionality is crucial. It must be done by someone who understands the issues and can take such complex risk assessment decisions.