Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the potential benefit of measures to support organ donation other than an opt-out system.

The last major review of organ donation in 2008 concluded that the case for a change to the law on consent was finely balanced and that other aspects of the systems supporting donation should be developed before any change to the law. Those actions, included in the United Kingdom-wide strategy Taking Organ Transplantation to 2020, have resulted in year on year growth in the number of transplants, seen the number of people on the NHS Organ Donation Register increase by almost five million people over the last five years and, in 2016/17, the highest ever deceased donor rates in England. The Government wants to see rates of transplantation in England amongst the best in the world and is keen to explore all options to increase the availability of suitable organs for transplantation. As part of the consultation on an opt-out system of consent, the Government has invited further evidence to be submitted which could impact on the desired outcome to increase the number of organs for transplant in England. This evidence will be carefully considered before the Government responds.