RACHEL MacBEATH

Support for giving patients the right to end their lives is growing in the Scottish Parliament.

Almost one-quarter of MSPs who took part in a survey by The Herald said the law should be changed to allow physician- assisted suicide. A further 20% said they had not made up their mind, with a number suggesting it was time for a debate.

The results indicate this parliament is more likely to agree to examine the subject than the last.

In 2005, Liberal Democrat MSP Jeremy Purvis put forward a bill that would have allowed terminally ill, mentally capable patients to request medical assistance to die. He did not receive enough support to take forward discussion on changing the law. With a new parliament elected he is considering a fresh attempt.

Mr Purvis said: "I think these survey results are encouraging. What I did want to do is make sure there would be support to take the proposal to committee and have it debated. I think the work that has been done here really moved it to that next step."

The Herald's poll was organised before of a conference on assisted dying organised by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

A college spokesman said: "What the result confirms is that there is still some division within political circles, as there is within the medical profession and wider public. Where such division exists we believe it is important to encourage open discussion."