MOST people will have read in these pages about the problems people face securing organs for donation.

It is because of these difficulties that MEPs recently voted in favour of new legislation to improve systems for human organ donation across the EU.

At present, the situation is desperate for many people: in the UK at least one person dies every day while waiting for a transplant, with demand outstripping supply by a ratio of 3:1. It was reported recently that 1,000 people are waiting for a transplant in Yorkshire, with 53 people having died on the list last year.

The new legislation aims to help improve the transplant system by setting minimum rules for the quality and safety of human organs used for transplant. This should help to create a wider EU pool of organs that are in good condition, increasing the likelihood of any individual finding a match.

By promoting increased organisation and coordination of the organ donation system between countries, with the sharing of best practice, there should also be more scope to make better use of the organs that are donated.

In addition to widening the overall options for potential recipients, the move should improve the chances of finding an organ for children and ethnic minority groups, who face particular difficulties in finding an organ match.

While all this is good news, there is always the need for more organs. Any one of us could need an organ one day, so I would urge people to sign the NHS Organ Donor Register, a permanent online register that can be accessed anywhere in minutes by medical staff. To sign, visit organdonation.nhs.uk/ukt/

Linda McAvan, Labour MEP for Yorkshire and the Humber, Wath-upon-Dearne, Rotherham.