Scrutineers have raised concerns that their ability to review the draft assisted dying law will be “severely compromised” by the timing of the debate being moved forward.

With the 2026 Budget and the assisted dying law both due to come before States Members in the next few months, Chief Minister Lyndon Farnham had suggested bringing the assisted dying debate forward from its original December date to 25 November.

But Deputies Inna Gardiner and Louise Doublet say this new schedule is too rushed.

In a letter to Deputy Farnham, the Scrutiny Liaison Committee and Assisted Dying Review Panel chairs said assisted dying is “sensitive, complex and impactful” – and needs enough time to be property scrutinised.

Bringing the debate forward is “problematic” and would “severely impact” Scrutiny’s ability to get input from expert advisors who were only appointed recently, they said.

Deputies Gardiner and Doublet added: “We would very much welcome that this dialogue is continued with a view to ensuring that the matter receives the duly rigorous Scrutiny phase that such a sensitive, complex and impactful law requires.”

The letter also highlighted Standing Order 72, which notes that draft laws must go through proper scrutiny reviews before being debated fully. If Ministers don’t respect this process, the Assembly can pause the debate until the scrutiny process is done.

Last week, the Council of Ministers lodged a proposition which sets out the framework for terminally ill adults living in Jersey to end their lives, who could be eligible, how the process would work and what checks would apply.

If it is adopted, Jersey would become just the second place in the British Isles to introduce such a law, after proposals to give terminally ill adults in the Isle of Man were agreed by the Manx parliament in March.

The service would be delivered by Health and Care Jersey, at an estimated cost of £2,657,084 between 2026 and 2029.

If approved, the draft law will require an 18-month implementation period, meaning the earliest the law could come into force in Jersey is mid-2027.