Record numbers of Britons who are suffering from terminal illnesses are queueing up for assisted suicide at the controversial Swiss clinic Dignitas, the Observer can reveal.

Almost 800 have taken the first step to taking their lives by becoming members of Dignitas, and 34 men and women, who feel their suffering has become unbearable, are ready to travel to Zurich and take a lethal drug overdose.

The tenfold increase in the number of Britons who have joined Dignitas since 2002 will raise questions about the law that bans assisted suicide in Britain.

On Tuesday, 46-year-old Debbie Purdy, who suffers from progressive multiple sclerosis, will go to the House of Lords, the UK's highest court, asking it to determine whether her husband Omar Puente will be prosecuted if he helps her to travel abroad to die.

The 34 Britons given what Dignitas calls a "provisional green light" to die have provided documentary evidence of their condition and been interviewed by both a doctor and Ludwig Minelli, the founder of Dignitas, and satisfied them that they are mentally fit to make such a decision.

One of the 34 is due to undertake an accompanied suicide very soon. Four have already secured fixed dates for their deaths, but adjourned them. The remaining 29 have not yet arranged a specific date.

A further four British people failed to get Dignitas's permission after the Swiss doctor who examines all applicants said they should not be helped, either because they did not have an incurable illness or were judged not of sound enough mind to reach such a decision.

Dignitas figures also show that 15 Britons took their lives there in 2003, 26 in 2006, eight in the first five months of 2008 and 23 in the past 12 months.

The disclosures will reopen the highly charged debate about euthanasia. This week, an influential group of peers, led by two former ministers in Tony Blair's cabinet, will seek to end what they see as the outdated and inhumane situation in which relatives or friends risk up to 14 years in prison if they travel with a loved one undertaking assisted dying overseas.

The peers - led by Lord Falconer, a former lord chancellor, and Baroness Jay, a former leader of the House of Lords - will table an amendment to the Coroners and Justice Bill in an attempt to lift the threat of prosecution from people in England and Wales who want to support someone in their final moments.

The 1961 Suicide Act criminalises anyone who aids, abets, counsels or procures someone else's suicide, and some relatives who have travelled have been questioned by police on their return. However, government law officers have already admitted that no one who goes abroad for that purpose is likely to face prosecution.

"It's a tragic anomaly that people who are giving a last loving assistance to a loved one find themselves under threat of 14 years' imprisonment if they do," Jay said last night. "Having made the very difficult decision to travel abroad to somewhere like Switzerland, where assisted dying is legal, someone would want the sort of support they would expect here from a husband, wife or loved one. The law in this area is a fudge and parliamentarians are lagging behind public opinion on this."

Prominent peers with legal or medical backgrounds are backing the move, including Lib Dem barrister Lord Lester, Baroness Greengross, the former head of Age Concern England, and Lord (Naren) Patel, chairman of the National Patient Safety Agency.

If they win - and they are increasingly confident - it would force the government to take a view. It used parliamentary procedure to prevent voting in March on an identical amendment in the Commons, which had been proposed by Patricia Hewitt, the health secretary until 2007.

Lesley Close, who travelled to Dignitas with her brother, John, in 2003 when he ended a life overshadowed by motor neurone disease, said: "More and more British people will be joining Dignitas and travelling to Switzerland to die because more people are aware of the compassionate and peaceful death you can achieve there.

"The interest in Dignitas among Britons underlines the case for reform of the law here. We need the same facility here [as Dignitas]. It's a perfectly rational and humane decision to end your life if you are suffering intolerably at the end of a terminal illness."

Sarah Wootton, chief executive of Dignity in Dying, which campaigns for a new right to assisted dying, said: "These figures show that the situation in this country is forcing people into difficult and dangerous decisions - to go abroad for an assisted death, or ask their doctor or a relative to help them die, or to attempt suicide themselves, some of which end up being botched.

"There is clearly a growing demand in this country for a well regulated, legal right for people with terminal illness, who are mentally competent, to end their life if they choose to."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2009/may/31/assisted-suicide-reform-uk...

One of the UK's most influential businessmen believes that companies must do more to employ former crack and heroin addicts - even in the jaws of a recession.

In an article posted today on the Commentisfree website, John Varley, chief executive of Barclays, argues that big business can play a crucial role in helping former addicts and homeless people on the path to rehabilitation.

Varley, who is president of the Employers' Forum on Disability and the UK Drug Policy Commission, the independent body that collects evidence on the harm caused by drugs, urges companies not to turn their backs on former users as the economy falters.

"It might seem like an unusual time to be asking ourselves how we can do more to engage with disadvantaged groups, such as recovering drug users or the homeless," he writes. "But they should remain on our mind because if, as employers, we turn our backs on these groups we are accumulating problems for the future, with implications for the long-term recovery of both individuals and the economy."

His comments are likely to trigger a national debate on the merits of employing former addicts. It is not known how many "clean" former addicts there are in the UK. However, it is estimated there are about 400,000 heroin and crack users and some 80% of them are not in jobs.

The cost to the taxpayer is immense. A report by the Department for Work and Pensions suggests that up to 240,000 problem users in England alone may be receiving out-of-work benefits - representing about 7% of those receiving jobseeker's allowance or incapacity benefit.

A study by the Drug Policy Commission found that two-thirds of employers would not recruit a former heroin or crack cocaine user, even if otherwise suitable for the job. And those that would do so usually operate an arbitrary "two years' drug-free" rule.

But Varley suggests former users can make good employees. "Research from Business Action on Homelessness and the UK Drug Policy Commission shows that, despite common perceptions, many homeless people and those with a history of addiction are highly motivated to work (and most have worked), and their loyalty and commitment is typically very noticeable," he writes. "That's because, for them, it is not just a job but a real indication that they are getting their lives back on track. A job can provide a new identity, a new social circle and increased self-esteem - in short, a fresh start."

There will be doubts about the merits of giving jobs to former users at a time when unemployment is rising significantly, but Varley, whose bank employs some 155,000 people across 50 countries, claims there are benefits from making a commitment to the most vulnerable in society.

"During an economic downturn (but particularly a severe one like this) there is a risk that we simply adopt a 'charity begins at home' stance, and shift our focus away from those on the margins of society. Yet I have seen first hand the real benefits (both for employer and employee) for those who are prepared to hire suitable candidates from the widest possible pools of talent (including the disadvantaged)."

Varley's comments have been backed by leading drug charities. "We hope that it encourages other employers to recognise that they can help someone sustain recovery from addiction and in the process acquire loyal employees," said Nick Barton, chief executive of Action on Addiction.

"Work has been shown to be an important component of rehabilitation and reintegration into society, helping to reduce the incidence of relapse. We have a number of positive examples from our Working Recovery programme, which has been helping people for more than 10 years."

The programme provides a bridge between treatment and recovery by teaching vocational skills.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2009/jul/05/drug-rehabilitation-barclays