AQO 3800/22-27 Oral question to the Assembly Commission
To ask the Assembly Commission for an update on its work to register defibrillators in Parliament Buildings with The Circuit so they are visible to ambulance service call handlers if someone calls 999 for a suspected cardiac arrest.
Asked by Nick Mathison MLA on 11 June 2026
- Answered
- Oral
- Answered in the Chamber
- Tabled
- 11 June 2026
- Answer due by
- 23 June 2026
- Answered
- 23 June 202612 days after tabling
- Department
- Northern Ireland Assembly Commission
- Priority question
- No
Answer
Answered in the Assembly Chamber on 23 June 2026. Extract from the Official Report (Hansard), including any supplementary questions:
Mr McGrath
I thank the Member for his question. The Assembly Commission currently has five defibrillators, which are located at the front reception, the basement control room, the Blue Flax restaurant, the Long Gallery and on the fourth floor. All five devices were registered on The Circuit in September 2025. The most recent status check was completed on 25 May 2026. To date, none of the defibrillators have been required for use, but they remain fully operational and ready in case they are needed.
Mr Mathison
I thank the Member for his answer. The British Heart Foundation has been keen to ensure that that registration went ahead, so that will be welcome news. Are there any plans to share information on where those defibrillators are with all users of the Building so that they can be easily accessed in an emergency?
Mr McGrath
Yes, thank you for that question. The Commission is committed to ensuring that all Building users, even those who are just visiting, are aware of the locations of the devices so that they can be quickly accessed in an emergency. To support that, the defibrillator locations are listed on AssISt and the Members' portal and are covered in first aid training. To further raise awareness, the health and safety team will begin distributing postmasters to all Building users to highlight the locations so that, if the defibrillators are needed, people can access them as quickly as possible.