Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has recent discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the potential merits of (a) removing Value Added Tax on defibrillators and (b) other fiscal steps to encourage provision of automatic external defibrillators.

No recent discussions have been held regarding removing Value Added Tax on defibrillators or other fiscal steps to encourage provision of automatic external defibrillators (AEDs).

As of 22 September 2023, community organisations had been able to apply for a grant to fund a life-saving defibrillator for their local area. An initial estimate of 1,000 new defibrillators were to be provided by the fund, with the potential for this to double as successful applicants will be asked to match the funding they receive partially or fully.

Smarter Society received applications for 4,773 AEDs and has delivered 2,000 AEDs. This means that due to the high level of demand, Smarter Society has successfully delivered the fund and further applications are not being accepted at this time. The Department is considering how best to continue supporting organisations that want to obtain an AED in the future.