The Coroners and Justice Bill moves into the committee stages next week and those of us who are interested in it are at the stage of working up amendments, finding allies and trying to understand the Government’s intentions and deciding whether we agree with them or not. It’s not always obvious what the impact of some clauses will be or the arguments which have led to other provisions being ommitted. This is a wide ranging bill about the future of the Coronial Service, for which many of the provisions seem sensible with one or two caveats, but is also designed to clarify the partial defences of murder. Since homicides and defences to homicide often involve medical psychiatric evidence I want to clarify a wide number of points and argue others. The Bill in some respects follows the Law Commission’s recommendations but in other important respects does not, making the total package quite problematic. 

So yesterday Lord Joffe, Lord Goodhart and I went to discuss aspects of the proposed new clauses on Diminished Responsibility with Lord Bach, the Justice Minister together with the head of the Bill team. (Ministers in the Lords share offices by the way and Baroness Morgan of Drefelin was preparing for her second reading of another bill at the same time). I came away with a better idea of the origins of some clauses and felt we’d been heard. The issue of mercy killing is very problematic, it’s murder and yet often has noble intent. The Law Commission recommended a detailed review but we haven’t got that yet and we can’t do much with this bill to make it better. These meetings are very useful though in seeing where the Government is coming from. 

I followed that with long discussions with a lawyer colleague, Rowena Daw,  assisting the mental health alliance put together some suggested amendments for me to table tomorrow. Rowena was shouting down the phone trying to be heard over the noise of a demonstration of Scientologists against the Royal College of Psychiatrists outside their annual meeting in Liverpool. Scientologists view psychiatry as a barbaric and corrupt profession and encourage alternative care based on spiritual healing. I won’t comment on that here today. But our discussions about amendments were somewhat curtailed by the scenes at the other end of the phone. Here’s photos of the other peers at our meeting. You can look up who’s who. I’m sorry I can’t show you pictures of the extraordinary Victorian wallpaper  (primrose yellow with stylised lilies and roses in a regimented design) in the Ministers’ office but believe me, it is truly splendid.