Dáithí's Northern Ireland organ donation law passes Commons stages

MPs have backed a new organ donation law for Northern Ireland known as Dáithí's law.

Belfast boy, six-year-old Dáithí MacGabhan, whose name the law is named after, high-fived his dad when MPs supported the change to the Northern Ireland ( Executive Formation) bill as it passed through its Commons stages.

The Bill received an unopposed second reading and will now head to the House of Lords for further scrutiny.

Daíthí has been waiting for a heart transplant since 2018.

Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris noted Daithi was watching from the public gallery as MPs approved the change, saying the six-year-old was "going to make some history today".

He said: "Obviously I want to see the assembly in place, and the assembly should have done this ... I do recognise that this issue is so important that it warrants an exceptional intervention from the Government."

Shadow Northern Ireland minister Tonia Antoniazzi said: "I want to say thank you to Dáithí, he's an inspirational little boy, and I'm not sure he knows yet quite how much of a difference he and his family have made across Northern Ireland, because frankly he has made history."

Conservative MP Simon Hoare, chairman of the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee, said he supported the change, but added: "There is follow-up work that needs to be done on a public information campaign in order to ensure maximum understanding of it and take-up of the opportunities that it provides."

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