PLANS for an opt-out system of organ donation have been welcomed by a New Forest man who has been waiting for a lung transplant for more than two years.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has launched proposals which he claims will help people to overcome their “fatal reluctance” to discuss the issue with family and friends.

Under the plans, everybody in England would be presumed to be happy to donate their organs on their death, unless they have signed up to a register stating that they do not want that to happen.

In practice, however, it is unlikely that organs would be taken against the wishes of the family.

Charles Michael Duke, from Hordle, suffers from Cystic Fibrosis and spends almost half of his life in hospital as he waits for a transplant.

Speaking from his hospital bed, Charles said: “I welcome this because recent figures show that 95 per cent of people would accept an organ but only 33 per cent are on the register.

“I think this is down to the fact that there is nothing urging people to sign up. They all say they will do it tomorrow but most donated organs come from people who have died suddenly.”

He said he believes the proposals should go even further because currently the families of people on the register can overrule their wishes.

“Families can withdraw consent so it is crucial that people speak to their families about their decision so they are certain about what their wishes were.”

The 22-year-old currently spends two weeks in hospital, followed by three weeks at home, then back to hospital. “There are times when I am feeling really rubbish that I wish things were different,” he added.

NHS Blood and Transplant’s figures show that last year 1,100 families in the UK decided not to allow organ donation because they were unsure, or did not know whether their relatives would have wanted to donate an organ or not.

Mr Hunt said: “As well as changing the law, we also need to change the conversation – it can be a difficult subject to broach, but overcoming this fatal reluctance to talk openly about our wishes is key to saving many more lives in the future.”

The consultation will ask three questions - How much say should families have in their deceased relative’s decision to donate their organs? When would exemptions to “opt-out” be needed, and what safeguards will be necessary? How might a new system affect certain groups depending on age, disability, race or faith?

There are particular shortages of organs for people from ethnic minority backgrounds.

Only around six per cent of donors are black or Asian, although those groups make up about 10 per cent of the population. Plans for an opt-out system have been welcomed by the Afro-Caribbean Leukaemia Trust.