To ask the Minister of Health to detail any steps his Department is taking to increase the registration of publicly accessible defibrillators on The Circuit, particularly in communities with low coverage.

The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) is leading on the implementation of the Community Resuscitation Strategy and provides a supporting role in advising organisations, businesses, and individuals regarding siting of defibrillators and best practice in the use of defibrillators.

Improving the registration and visibility of publicly accessible Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) is essential to improving survival outcomes from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

NIAS has worked with the British Heart Foundation to develop The Circuit (www.thecircuit.uk), a national online defibrillator network linking every ambulance service in the UK. NIAS can readily provide information on AEDs registered on The Circuit to 999 callers who may require access. There are currently 4,366 publicly accessible AEDs registered on The Circuit.

Ongoing work to increase AED registration includes:

ongoing promotion of The Circuit to communities, businesses and public-sector organisations;

targeted engagement with AED guardians to improve visibility, accessibility and maintenance;

partnership working across local councils, voluntary organisations and community groups; and

integration of AED data within emergency response systems to maximise utilisation

This approach prioritises prevention, early intervention and empowering communities to act during health emergencies.

My Department continues to support NIAS and its partners to increase AED registration, recognising that unregistered devices cannot be utilised effectively in timecritical situations.