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Chancellor Rachel Reeves dodges questions on funding for assisted dying

10 Dec 2024 3 minute read

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves Photo: Ben Whitley/PA Wire

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has declined to say whether funds would be made available to make assisted dying free at the point of use.

Ms Reeves, who gave her backing to a new Bill when Parliament had a historic vote in favour of assisted dying last month, said she is “not convinced” such a service would mean higher costs for the public purse.

But, asked on Tuesday about funding for assisted dying, she repeatedly refused to say whether it would be funded through public money.

Asked by Matt Chorley on BBC Radio Five Live, whether funding a system of assisted dying was a priority, she said: “I am not convinced that assisted dying is going to result in higher costs on the public purse but that Bill, that private member’s Bill, which the Government is neutral on, is going through Parliament at the moment, and we’ll have scrutiny as part of the committee stage that will be beginning shortly.”

Funding

She was asked several times about how it would be funded but repeatedly stated that the Bill is going through the Parliamentary process.Asked whether she was willing to “stump up the money” to pay for assisted dying and whether it would be free or have to be paid for by users, Ms Reeves said: “The committee stage and the scrutiny of the Bill will answer those questions, the Government is neutral on the issue.”Asked if MPs voted for it to be free at the point of use, whether the Treasury would find the money for it, even if it meant making cuts elsewhere, Ms Reeves said: “The Bill will now go through its proper scrutiny process in the House of Commons.”

Bill

Ms Reeves was among 15 members of the Cabinet, including Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who voted for Labour MP Kim Leadbeater’s Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill on November 29, while eight Cabinet colleagues voted against it.Among those in the No camp was Health Secretary Wes Streeting, who has previously asked his officials to carry out a cost analysis of any change in the law, and has suggested it could cost the NHS more if assisted dying was brought in.The Bill will next go to the committee stage where MPs can table amendments and will face further scrutiny and votes in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, meaning any change in the law would not be agreed upon until next year at the earliest.

Safeguards

Some MPs indicated during the debate last month that their support for the Bill might not continue at a further vote if they are not convinced of the safeguards around coercion.Ms Leadbeater has said it would likely be a further two years from her Bill passing into law for an assisted dying service to be in place.

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