A motion that would see the clauses of the Assisted Dying Bill referred to a committee has been approved this week.

The move, which was proposed by Onchan MHK, Rob Callister, means that five MHKs will consider and review each of the 14 clauses and report back by February 2024.

The five chosen members of the committee are Alex Allinson, David Ashford, Lawrie Hooper, Michelle Haywood and Rob Callister.

The matter was voted on in the House of Keys this week.

It comes after MHKs voted in support of the second reading of Alex Allinson’s private members bill, which would afford terminally ill, mentally competent adults, the right to, at their request, with specified assistance, end their own life.

On introducing the motion, Mr Callister said: ‘It is not my intention by moving this motion today to put this very important piece of legislation into the political long grass.

‘Based on everything I heard last week, there are sections of this draft legislation that need to be discussed, reviewed and considered very carefully before we move to the clauses stage of this very important bill.’

He said that the committee may wish to take professional advice or evidence, particularly in respect of capacity, coercion, the formal declaration, the inquest, the death certification, and how it would impact an individual’s life and mortgage insurance policy.

Some MHKs voiced concerns over how much time the committee would add to the legislative process, as well as feeling that all members should be involved in the debating of the various clauses.

Other MHKs said that it wouldn’t slow down the process that much, but it would ensure that the care and consideration required would be given to the legislation.

Douglas North MHK, David Ashford said: ‘Something that needs to be cleared up in the public record, is that some members of the public think that a committee is substitute in some way for the clauses stage of this house. It is absolutely not.

‘It is not that five members consider the clauses in isolation instead of the whole house, the clauses stage still has to be undertaken in this house in the normal way.

‘The committee is designed to be an additional tool for scrutiny.’

The Mover of the bill, Dr Allinson, did not support the motion for the clauses to be referred to a committee.

He said: ‘The whole house can take evidence and clauses when we get to the next stage. I would argue that this is the most open and democratic way to progress this important and sensitive piece of legislation, select committees meet in private, although any evidence is often taken in public.’

There were 13 MHKs who voted in favour of the motion, and 11 who voted against.