SWINDON peer Lord Joffe has clashed with the Government's leading lawyer over the prosecution of people who help a terminally ill loved one commit suicide abroad.

The co-founder of Allied Dunbar said people were confused about whether they would face charges.

He called on Attorney General Lord Goldsmith to publish guidelines used by the Director of Public Prosecutions when deciding whether or not to bring a prosecution.

Lord Joffe who has drawn up a Bill to legalise euthanasia said there had already been 22 cases of Britons travelling to Switzerland to end their lives.

Speaking at a Lords select committee which is examining his proposals, he said: "The public are concerned about what the law is in the light of these cases.

"Would it not be in the interests of justice for the Director of Public Prosecutions to publish the criteria he uses in such cases on whether to bring a prosecution."