Richard O'Donoghue (Limerick County, Independent)
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268. To ask the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the lack of defibrillators in schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56536/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The issue of defibrillators in schools is a matter for individual schools in the education sector.

My Department is committed to improving survival rates of those who suffer an out of hospital cardiac arrest by implementing the recommendations of the Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest (OHCA) Steering Group. A National Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest Steering Group was established in 2017. In 2019, this Group finalised an Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest Strategy for Ireland, “Putting Survival at the Heart of the Community” and submitted it to the Health Service Executive (HSE) Commissioners, who have accepted the recommendation of the Steering Group.

This work supports the National Ambulance Service (NAS) and Community First Responder Ireland (CFR Ireland) in their commitment to improve clinical outcomes for Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest and strengthens the ‘Chain of Survival’ across Ireland including the use of defibrillators in community settings and schools and on increasing CPR training.

I support increased public access to defibrillation, including in schools and will continue to explore the issue with regard to schools and will engage with my colleague the Minister for Education on it in due course.