The report will make 14 recommendations to the Scottish Government and other UK administrations for increasing organ donation rates, including recruiting 100 extra donor transplant coordinators to guide and support bereaved families through the donation process and establishing 24 hour dedicated organ retrieval teams. The report will not include the issue of presumed consent, which the Organ Donation Taskforce is considering separately.

However, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing Nicola Sturgeon said yesterday that she remains “sympathetic” towards the idea of introducing a system of presumed consent.

She said: "I welcome the taskforce's report and can confirm that Scotland is fully committed to implementing its recommendations.

"The shortage of donor organs for transplantation is an increasing problem and we are determined to address this.

"I want everyone to seriously consider signing up to the register and for this important issue to become widely discussed.”

Sturgeon said that while it is “impressive” that more Scots have put their names on the Organ Donor Register than in any other part of the UK, Scotland still has one of the lowest organ donation rates in the EU.

She continued: “That is why I have asked the Scottish Transplant Group to take forward implementation of the recommendations in Scotland.”

On this issue of presumed consent, which has also received the backing of Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Sturgeon added: "Although the report does not deal with the issue of presumed consent, I want to repeat that I am sympathetic towards the idea of introducing a system of presumed consent and I welcome the fact that the task force is considering this approach."