In advance of the Director of Public Prosecutions in England and Wales publishing new guidelines for the prosecution of assistance to die, Jeremy Purvis MSP has described as an 'outrage' that he had not received a reply to a letter written over 7 weeks ago from the Scottish Prosecutors as to what the position is in Scotland.

Commenting, Mr Purvis said:

"I wrote to the Lord Advocate seeking an urgent clarification in Scotland in light of the unanimous verdict of the House of Lords that people coming to the end of a terminal illness should have clarity on the law on the basis on which prosecutions might be made.

“In spite of numerous requests for a reply from my office the response that is due from the Solicitor General has not been forthcoming.

“This means that even a request from an MSP is being treated shabbily where there is a clear need for an explanation on whether people will or will not be prosecuted. This is not acceptable and there is now the clear prospect of there being a legal no mans land in Scotland where the approach in England is being clarified.

“We have heard much of 'compassion' in recent weeks with regards the Scottish justice system, but not even having a clear position as to whether someone will be prosecuted is the worst element of the current system.

“The silence from the Lord Advocate and the Solicitor General is wholly unacceptable."

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