A private member’s bill that would introduce a “soft opt-out” system for organ donation in Northern Ireland has passed its first hurdle in Stormont.

The Human Transplantation Bill was presented to the Northern Ireland Assembly by Jo-Anne Dobson MLA yesterday.

The legislation would change the legal framework around organ donation so that everyone is regarded to have given consent to be an organ donor unless they specify otherwise.

It would also create new offences around misrepresenting the wishes of a deceased person with regards to transplantation.

However, family members can still intervene in a transplantation.

Ms Dobson told the Belfast Telegraph that “time is of the essence” if the bill is to pass before the Northern Ireland Assembly dissolves for the next election.