Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of placing reform of the legal definition of terminal illness which determines fast-track access to social security payments for terminally ill claimants under the principle of public interest as set out in her Department's guidance on decision-making for Northern Ireland Departments during the period for Northern Ireland Executive formation.

The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland is aware of the Scottish Government’s recent changes to statutory guidance on terminal illness. Any decision to review the legal definition of terminal illness in Northern Ireland would be a matter for incoming Northern Ireland Ministers to consider.