To ask the Minister of Health (i) for an update on the current pause of public awareness campaigns, which include organ donation; and (ii) to detail any steps being taken to ensure the continued promotion of organ donation following the change to the opt-out system.

You will be aware that I have repeatedly stated that the budget allocated to the health service is wholly inadequate. This resulted in a collective effort across the system and at Department level to make savings, including a moratorium on paid advertising campaigns and consideration of other discretionary spend which has impacted on paid aspects of the organ donation programme. That position remains the same.

My Department has a statutory duty to promote organ transplantation under the Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act (Northern Ireland) 2016. In line with this duty, my Department oversees a comprehensive rolling programme of outreach and engagement activity to promote knowledge and informed discussion about organ donation, including promoting understanding of organ donation laws, which is aimed at driving registrations on the NHS Organ Donor Register and sustaining and increasing rates of consent to both living and deceased organ donation.