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19-21 Broad Street | St Helier Jersey | JE2 4WE
Deputy Doublet
Chair, Assisted Dying Review Panel BY EMAIL
2 April 2024
Dear Chair,
Re: Questions on the Assisted Dying Report & Proposition
In response to your letter dated 25 March, please see below a response to the questions outlined on the proposals for Assisted Dying in Jersey.
- The Panel understands that you intend to provide three, two-hour States Member briefings, and scheduled weekly ‘drop in’ sessions for States Members to discuss the detail of the final proposals and ask questions on a one-to-one basis. Please can you confirm the timeframe, during the lodging period, for undertaking the States Members briefings and 1-2-1 ‘drop in’ sessions?
Three States Members briefings have been arranged for the following dates and times:
• Wednesday 27March, 3:30-5pm
• Monday 22April, 3-4:30pm
• Monday 13 May, 2:30-4pm
States Members will also have the opportunity to attend drop-in sessions with health policy officers every Monday, from 25 March until 20 May, from 12-1pm. These are informal sessions where States Members are invited to join all or part of the session to ask any questions they may have about the report and proposition.
Key issues raised at the weekly drop-in sessions will be circulated to Members as a Q&A document.
- The Panel wishes to highlight the importance of communication between Government, Scrutiny and States Members during this lodging period. Please can you clarify how you intend to communicate the support available to States Members?
An email will be sent to all States Members, setting out the briefing opportunities available to them during the lodging period and encouraging attendance. At a recent public meeting, attendees were very clear that they expected elected representatives to attend briefing meetings to help ensure an informed debate.
Any steps that the Review Panel take to help re-enforce this message would be greatly appreciated.
- Please can the Panel be provided with the themes and any areas of concern emerging from the 1-2-1 ‘drop in’ sessions with States Members?
As set out above a Q& A document will be circulated to all States Members following each 
drop-in session. Furthermore policy officers will be available to update the Panel on emerging themes and common question topics, as requested by the Panel.
- Please can you confirm how the Council of Ministers intend to make the Proposition on assisted dying to the States Assembly, and whether States Members will be asked to vote on each paragraph of the Proposition separately, or whether it is intended that all aspects of the Proposition will be voted on together?
The proposition consisted for five paragraphs, paras (a) to (e). These will be voted on separately. Paragraph (a) includes an Appendix with 26 sub-paragraphs. If Para (a) is adopted, the Appendix will be adopted.
The five paragraphs and the 26 sub-paragraphs may all be subject to amendment.
The 26 sub-paragraphs have been included in an Appendix on the recommendation of the States Greffe. The use of an Appendix reflects the format of Government Plan propositions.
- The Panel understands that Government will be undertaking a process of consultation with disabled Islanders in relation to ‘Route 2: Unbearable suffering’. Please can the Panel be provided with the issues to be discussed with disabled Islanders in advance of the consultation?
Targeted engagement sessions with disabled Islanders will be undertaken in partnership with Enable Jersey and Acorn/Jersey Employment Trust, two organisations that work with and support disabled Islanders and Islanders with long-term health conditions.
The engagement sessions will include focus groups and 1-2-1 interviews, which are being arranged for the weeks commencing 22 and 29 April.
The Ethical Review noted that there has already been targeted engagement with disabled Islanders (this took place during the two phases of consultation) but recommended that further sessions should be undertaken focusing specifically on ‘Route 2 – unbearable suffering’ [1]
The sessions undertaken previously explored all aspects of the assisted dying proposals.
Policy officers will provide the Review Panel a copy of the ‘discussion guide’ that is being developed with the partner organisations once it has been prepared.
- Please can you confirm the intended output to be produced following the consultation process?
The Council of Ministers have committed to lodging a feedback report as an addendum to the report and proposition. It will be lodged two weeks before the debate (ie. by 7 May).
- Please can you confirm the timeframe for the consultation process and that the Panel can be provided with the outcome of the consultation in advance of its publication?
The Panel will be provided with a copy of the feedback report prior to lodging as an addendum.
I trust that the above is of assistance to the Panel. 
Yours sincerely,
Deputy Tom Binet
Minister for Health and Social Services E t.binet@gov.je
