Brian Ó Domhnaill (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I also commend Senator Quinn on this legislation, which is welcome and very much warranted, given that many thousands of people lose their lives each year due to heart attacks or sudden cardiac death. If the necessary equipment and assistance were more widely available, according to all the expert reports, including that of the task force on sudden cardiac death in 2006, survival rates would be much higher, particularly in the three- to five-minute window after an attack occurs.

The Bill details all the premises in which defibrillators should be made available. The Senator has conducted important research and I subscribe to supporting it, as will every other Member on a cross-party basis. I am working with my local soccer club to hold a fund-raiser in mid-July to purchase a defibrillator. There is no point in going down this road without doing the training and we have engaged the Irish Red Cross to undertake training in August and September with at least 12 club members in order that we can avail of this facility. Every sporting organisation needs to have a defibrillator. We have witnessed in recent years at both semi-professional and professional levels sports people suffering sudden cardiac arrest, which has resulted in loss of life. I am sure the Minister of State will subscribe to that. The GAA has undertaken a worthwhile initiative to fund 1,000 defibrillators through the club system, and that is working effectively.

A number of clubs in my county have obtained the defibrillators, and training was provided. There is no point in having the equipment if there is no training or ability to use it. This is identified in Senator Quinn's Bill.

There is a cost associated with providing defibrillators, although it is not huge. Will the Minister of State consider making a small amount of money available to every sports and community organisation, through the sports capital programme or another programme, to provide at least some assistance in the purchase of defibrillators? It could be for the local community hall or the local athletics, GAA, soccer, badminton, hockey or hurling club, for example. It may be worthwhile to support Senator Quinn's Bill by having the Exchequer match the funding raised by local clubs.

I will not go through the statistics; suffice it to say that every family in the country knows someone who has been affected by heart disease or sudden adult death syndrome. Leaving politics to one side, I believe there is certainly a need to provide this equipment. There is certainly a need to ensure training is available and to support the Bill. I hope that when the Bill is supported this evening, it will not just lie on the shelf of the Government and that it will be passed and implemented. It would be disrespectful for this not happen given the amount of work Senator Quinn has put into it. I commend him on the work. It is an honour to be able to say a few words on the Bill this evening.