Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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Cuirim fáilte roimh na finnéithe chuig an gcoiste. I have a question for Mr. Riley. Why did he pick a timeframe of six months? He said provision should be available to people whose death is reasonably predicted within the next six months. For people with a diagnosis of terminal cancer, for example, if they ask how long they have left - if they do not ask, they may never be told - the answer might be that, without treatment, they are reasonably likely to die within the next six months. Would they fall into the category of eligibility or would that be precluded because, if treatment is received, they might survive for a year or two? Why did Mr. Riley pick six months as opposed to two or three months, say, or two weeks?

My second question, also for Mr. Riley, concerns the slippery slope issue and the broadening of categories of eligibility. We heard from witnesses from The Netherlands on this point. Is he saying that the categories of people who are entitled to apply for assisted dying have not been broadened in some jurisdictions over the past 20 or 25 years?

I also have a question for Mr. Copson. I apologise for missing his opening statement as I had to attend to other business. However, I have read it. He is of the view that if people's quality of life has fallen below what they feel to be acceptable, they should have the option of an assisted death and that the best way to cater for different people's beliefs is to give each person the right to choose his or her own path. His position is that it should be up to individuals to determine whether their quality of life falls below what they deem to be tolerable. To clarify, is his position, in effect, based on the autonomy of the person such that if people subjectively feel their life has fallen below a quality of life they consider acceptable, they should have the right to assisted dying?