Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support his Department is providing to the Department of Health Northern Ireland on ensuring the effective implementation of the Organ and Tissue Donation (Deemed Consent) Bill.

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) have provided support to the Department of Health Northern Ireland and the Public Health Agency throughout the process of enacting the Organ and Tissue Donation (Deemed Consent) Act.

NHSBT has used its expertise in implementing opt-out legislation in other countries of the United Kingdom to help the Department of Health Northern Ireland develop a comprehensive implementation plan for this change.

As the designated authority for organ donation and transplantation across the UK, NHSBT nursing teams will continue to support families of potential organ donors and work alongside clinical teams in Northern Ireland. Their training is now complete and they are fully prepared to initiate the implementation phase starting from June 1, 2023.