§ Mr. Alex CarlileTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make it her policy to replace organ donor cards by an opting-out system; and if she will make a statement.
§ Mr. SackvilleThe Government believe that giving organs should be a positive, altruistic choice made by individuals or their surviving relatives and not a presumed right on the part of the state. "Opting-out" does not have the support of the majority of the British people and there is no clear evidence that it would improve donation rates. On 6 October this year, we launched the national health service organ donor register; all those wishing to signal their intention to be a donor can now record their names on this central computerised register. The volume of applications is already encouraging.