Organs: Donors

Mr. Godsiff
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people carry donor cards; and how many transplants took place where consent was given by the existence of such a card, in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Ann Keen
We do not know exactly how many people carry an organ donor card but a recent survey concluded that around 21 million people carried the card, about 36 per cent. of the population. Almost 15 million people, around 25 per cent. of the population have registered on the Organ Donor Register.

Of the 2,339 organ transplants in the United Kingdom in 2007 from deceased donors, 674, about 29 per cent. were from donors who were registered on the Organ Donor Register.