Lorraine Clifford Lee (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I wish to highlight the lack of defibrillators in schools and to call on the Leader to bring the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Richard Bruton, to the Chamber to discuss that lack and the importance of supplying them to every school in the country. In recent weeks, the life of a young boy in Rush, north County Dublin, was saved by the quick thinking of his principal, Tim Ó Tuachaigh, of Gaelscoil Ros Eo. A defibrillator was available in the local GAA club on the grounds of which the Gaelscoil is currently housed in temporary accommodation. It is lucky that the defibrillator was available and the boy's life saved. He is now out of hospital and recovering well and hopes to return to school in the coming weeks. Life-saving defibrillators should be available across the country. The Minister has said that schools and their boards of management are free to spend their capitation fees in whatever way they want and that includes the purchase of such equipment and relevant training for staff members.However, that is not satisfactory. We all know that the capitation fee does not even cover the basics in schools. This means that boards of management and parents have to fundraise locally to supply this life-saving equipment in schools. That is not good enough as it means that only children from very well off school communities can afford to access this life-saving equipment. We need to supply it across the school system to ensure all children are treated equally in that regard by having access to these life-saving devices in a cardiac emergency. The Minister should rethink his approach. I, therefore, ask the Leader to call him into this Chamber to discuss the issue. I pay tribute to the príomhoide Tim Ó Tuachaigh agus na múinteoirí go léir and wish this special and lucky little boy the very best in his recovery.