Mark Wall (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I wish to raise, once again, our community first responders and the wonderful work that they do throughout all of our communities. I am sure the Deputy Leader is well aware of the work that they do her own community. I raised this matter previously in the House through a Commencement matter, namely, the need for a national register of automated external defibrillators, AEDs in this country. At the time, the Minister reported that such a register would be carried out through the out-of-hospital cardiac arrest strategy, which is obviously currently being carried out.

Surprisingly, the Minister for Health, in a follow-up parliamentary question - which is what I stated last time I spoke on this late last year – said that there were no plans to carry out such a register. However, I am glad to report that this has since changed again. The most recent reply through parliamentary questions to my colleague, Deputy Duncan Smith, and in a Commencement matter here in the Seanad yesterday, confirmed that this much needed register will be back on the table and will be implemented through that particular register.

Of course, there are some wonderful examples of groups throughout the country that have already completed an audit of their community AEDs and their locations. For example, it has been done in Enniscorthy, County Wexford, and in County Laois. I hope the current review will talk to those involved and gather their experiences which have improved a life-saving device in relation to their local communities.

A very important add-on matter that I would like to highlight as well is the urgent need to deal with criminal damage to our community-located AEDs that colleagues have highlighted to me. This is an horrendous piece of criminality. My colleague, Councillor Carrie Smyth, has recently highlighted a number of AEDs that were damaged in her area. The national first responder network has also highlighted a number of other locations throughout the country where life-saving devices have been damaged. We never know when somebody in our community will need that AED. We need to do more to highlight this crime. It is just simply not acceptable.

I also would like to highlight the proposed military exercise by Russian military forces off our coastline. It was highlighted here yesterday and I wish to add my voice to the growing cause to highlight this particular matter. We are all aware of what we can and cannot do about these proposed exercises. I note the concerns last night, again, of our fishing fleet in the southern part of the country, who feel that its livelihood and, indeed, its environmental fishing rights will be directly impacted by these training exercises. I note from the reply from the Russian ambassador that such military moves will be no threat to Ireland. However, that obviously contradicts what our own fishermen are actually saying.

It is incumbent to us as a neutral State to use every avenue open to us to highlight this. I welcome the fact that the Minister for Foreign Affairs has highlighted this matter with his European counterparts and raised it again with the Russian ambassador. We need to further, more often and consistently. It is simply not good enough that this environment and area, which is within our exclusive economic zone, EEZ, could be damaged by any such exercise. I, again, ask the Deputy Leader and this House to continue this very important matter.