Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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330. To ask the Minister for Health if he will provide funding to a voluntary organisation (details supplied) in order to buy defibrillators for the area under their remit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33436/16]

Marcella Corcoran Kennedy (Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Community groups may apply for lottery funding to help with the purchase of defibrillators and the HSE has also supported local community initiatives with this. In addition, one of the means to help improve health outcomes in this area is through the expansion of the National First Response Network. Community first responder groups comprise this national network. These are people from local communities who are trained in basic life support and the use of defibrillators that attend a potentially life threatening emergency in their area. They are then able to provide an early intervention in situations such as heart attack or cardiac arrest by providing, among other things, resuscitation and defibrillation.

Cardiac First Responders (CFR) Ireland, launched in 2015, is the national umbrella organisation for Community First Responders Groups. CFR Ireland works with the National Ambulance Service, Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council and the Centre for Emergency Medical Science UCD. There are currently 141 Community First Responder groups tasked by the National Ambulance Service. If an emergency 999/112 call for cardiac arrest, choking, chest pain or breathing difficulties is made to the National Ambulance Service in an area where a CFR group is established, the on-duty CFR member gets a text from the National Ambulance Service at the same time that an ambulance is despatched with location and call details. The First Responder then goes straight to the scene and administers initial care (defibrillation if required) until the National Ambulance Service Emergency resources arrive.