Assisted Dying Bill scrutiny time 'not a delay'

The length of time being taken to scrutinise the Isle of Man's Assisted Dying Bill ahead of a decision on it being granted Royal Assent is "not a reflection of delay by any party in the process", a UK minister has said.

The bill was passed by the branches of the Manx parliament 11 months ago, in March 2025, before being sent to the UK Ministry of Justice (MOJ) for review.

Alex Allinson MHK, who brought the private member's bill forward, wrote to the UK Lord Chancellor at the start of the month to query the time it was taking.

In the MOJ's reply, Jake Richards MP said the timescale reflected the "need to ensure that the UK properly fulfils its constitutional responsibilities".

The Isle of Man became the first place in the British Isles to pass its assisted dying bill in March last year.

Jersey voted to pass its own bill on Thursday.

Although the Welsh Parliament this week voted to introduce the provisions in a bill for England and Wales if it is passed, that legislation has been making slow progress through the House of Lords.

Under the Manx bill, terminally ill adults with less that 12 months to live would be given the right to choose to end their own lives, provided they met specific eligibility criteria, including having lived on the island for five years.

It was recently confirmed by the island's health minister that her department had responded to concerns raised by the MOJ over protections against coercion and capacity safeguards in the bill.

Replying to Allinson's letter, Richards said MoJ officials had been in touch with the Manx authorities "where assurances or clarifications have been required".

The response provided was "now being assessed", he said, adding that if there were no further queries, they would "prepare advice to the Lord Chancellor regarding Royal Assent".

Information compiled by the Clerk of Tynwald's Office suggests the average interval between bills being signed by Tynwald members and Royal Assent being granted was "around two months".

However, there were instances of longer periods of scrutiny, with the longest identified being an "almost four-year gap" before the Criminal Damage Act 1981 received Royal Assent.

Richards said the time required to scrutinise Crown Dependency legislation "varies depending on its complexity, sensitivity, and any legal or constitutional questions that arise".

It was a "collaborative process" between the UK and the island to "ensure that each bill receives appropriate analysis", he said.

"The duration of scrutiny is therefore not a reflection of delay by any party in the process, but of the need to ensure that the UK properly fulfils its constitutional responsibilities for good government and international obligations," he added.

After receiving the response, Allinson said he was "disappointed with the continued delay" in the granting of Royal Assent.

There had been "prompt responses" to all the questions asked by the MOJ about the bill, he said, which had "already received significant scrutiny by both branches of Tynwald".

"It is very important for the constitutional integrity of the British Isles that the individual democratically elected parliaments are respected, and the views of their communities valued," he added.

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