Catherine Noone (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I support Senator Hayden's comments on the homelessness issue, which could be usefully debated in this House. A new report indicates the number of people on the streets has increased by 88% since last year, which is alarming. One night in September, 85 people were found sleeping rough, which is incredible. There is no question that there is an upsetting and urgent need for accommodation and assistance for those with nowhere to go, and for whom living has become harsh and dangerous. Something must be done in this regard. The Simon Community has warned that figures could be much higher if we take into account the so-called hidden homeless, who stay in hospitals, Internet cafés and squats. I ask the Leader to arrange a debate on the matter, as we must put some effort into finding a solution.

I have stood mainly to raise the issue of defibrillators, which was raised by Senator Keane last week. I have been examining the matter, and city councils should consider working with Eircom, perhaps under the guidance of the Minister for Health, to retrofit existing telephone boxes with defibrillator machines in towns and villages around the country instead of simply destroying the boxes. This would be a sensible move in two ways. It would allow us to find a useful purpose for the existing boxes and the location of those boxes, which would otherwise revert to pavement when they are demolished in the coming years. It would also allow the public to know exactly where the nearest defibrillator is. People in towns and villages know where the phone boxes are and they are always easily recognisable. It would be a very good way to make a defibrillator a very obvious part of the landscape in towns and villages. The process has been used in some towns and villages in the UK, and to help prevent vandalism, anybody with a potential heart problem who calls 999 from a village would be given an access code to a vandal-proof steel box. We could follow the example of the UK. Although I do not know if we necessarily need a debate, I hope the Leader might bring the issue to the attention of the Minister for Health, as I will do.