The Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children has recommended that the Government introduce an 'opt out' system for organ donation to promote more donations and transplants.

Under such a system, people are presumed to be organ donors unless they say otherwise and opt out of organ donation.

Under the current system in Ireland, people are only designated organ donors if they 'opt in' through carrying an organ donor card.

The Irish Kidney Association, however, believes that a 'presumed consent' system may not work.

It believes a better way of improving donation and transplantation rates is through streamlining the organ donation process, training and placing donor coordinators in hospitals around the country, and establishing a single authority to oversee donations and transplants.