Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the cost of a defibrillator has prevented the government from mandating their access in all government managed buildings and infrastructure.

There are no plans to mandate defibrillators be located in all government buildings and infrastructure. Health and safety legislation does not require an employer to have an automated external defibrillator (AED) in the workplace. Where an employer has identified through their needs assessment that they wish to provide an AED in the workplace, then the Provision and Use of Workplace Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) apply.

This was not a decision based on cost, but it is worth noting that individual government departments are responsible for their own estate and the installation of defibrillators, with the exception of where the Government Property agency manages their office portfolio.