The British government is taking an “exceptional” step to pass a stalled organ donation law in Northern Ireland that was halted due to post-Brexit political rows. On Monday, Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris confirmed he will table an amendment to scheduled legislation set to go through Parliament that would incorporate the law, known as ‘Dáithí’s Law.’
The law would change the system of organ donation to an opt-out system, meaning it would be considered that everyone would be willing to donate their organs unless they have formally opted out or are exempt. It is named after six-year-old Belfast boy Dáithí MacGabhann, who has been waiting for a heart transplant for five years.
Announcing the Westminster move, Mr. Heaton-Harris said: “I have been incredibly moved by Dáithí’s story and his family’s dedication. I know that the party leaders in Northern Ireland feel the same. In recognition of just how important this issue is, I have decided to bring forward an amendment to the Executive Formation Bill which will allow for the overdue legislation to be made by the NI Department of Health and see this change to the law become a reality.”
He added: “Decisions such as these should be being taken by locally-elected decision-makers. I urge the parties to take the necessary steps to tackle all the other vitally important measures, just like this one, that they could deliver in Northern Ireland by simply agreeing to restore the institutions.”
The Northern Ireland Secretary personally phoned Dáithí MacGabhann’s father Mairtin on Sunday to make him aware of the development. Speaking on BBC Radio Ulster on Monday, MacGabhann said his son had now “cemented a legacy.”
The six-year-old’s plight had become a touchstone issue in political debate surrounding post-Brexit Northern Ireland. Last week a bid to restore the Assembly to pass the law failed when the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) once again exercised its veto to prevent the election of a speaker, meaning no further business—including the passing of Dáithí’s Law—could be conducted.
The region’s main unionist party is boycotting the powersharing institutions in protest at Brexit’s Northern Ireland Protocol. The DUP planned to introduce an amendment to the government’s Executive Formation Bill to facilitate the passing of the regulations. However, Heaton-Harris has announced the government will now table its own amendment when the Bill is brought before the Commons on Wednesday.
Negotiations between the UK government and the EU to resolve differences over the protocol are continuing amid speculation a deal could be imminent.
The opt-out organ donation system was passed by MLAs last year, but the secondary legislation required to implement it cannot be approved in the Assembly due to the current political stalemate.
The British government is taking an “exceptional” step to pass a stalled organ donation law in Northern Ireland, known as ‘Dáithí’s Law.’ The law would change the system of organ donation to an opt-out system, meaning it would be considered that everyone would be willing to donate their organs unless they have formally opted out or are exempt. It is named after six-year-old Belfast boy Dáithí MacGabhann, who has been waiting for a heart transplant for five years.
The DUP is boycotting the powersharing institutions in protest at Brexit’s Northern Ireland Protocol. The party insists the regulations required to implement the opt-out donation system can instead be passed at Westminster in the continued absence of powersharing in Belfast. The government will table an amendment to the Executive Formation Bill when it is brought before the Commons on Wednesday.
Negotiations between the UK government and the EU to resolve differences over the protocol are continuing amid speculation a deal could be imminent. The opt-out organ donation system was passed by MLAs last year, but the secondary legislation required to implement it cannot be approved in the Assembly due to the current political stalemate.