Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the Oliver King Foundation's five-year campaign to provide defibrillators in schools and public places, and what plans they have to ensure that every school has a defibrillator.

The Government recognises how important swift access to defibrillators can be in cases of cardiac arrest. The Government applauds the work of organisations such as the Oliver King Foundation in placing defibrillators locally, and raising awareness of sudden cardiac death.

The Department’s policy is to encourage schools to purchase a defibrillator as part of their first-aid equipment. To help schools to do so, we have negotiated a deal with NHS Supply Chain to offer defibrillators to schools at a reduced cost, and have published advice on installing and maintaining defibrillators on school premises.

Since this scheme was launched in 2014, over 1600 schools have purchased defibrillators through this route. We continue to work with the sector to raise awareness of the scheme and to refine our guidance to schools on installing and maintaining these devices.