Strangford MP Jim Shannon Backs AED Bill In House of Commons
Jim Shannon, MP for Strangford, has welcomed the continued commitment of the AED Bill in the House of Commons at Westminster.
Automated External Defribrillators (AED’s) are designed to shock the heart back to more normal rhythms after a heart attack, but if the patient has flatlined, it cannot revive them.
Jim Shannon said: “The UK Youth Education Minister and Health Minister Jo Churchill have provided me reassurance that both will do all they can to ensure that Schools and other public areas readily have access to AED’s, across the whole of the UK.
“This legislation means a lot to me. I attended a football match in Portavogie in my constituency of Strangford, where a gentleman unfortunately suffered a heart attack. Fortunately, the availability of an AED meant that he survived and is living today.
“The AED Bill 2nd Reading is scheduled to be heard in Parliament on the 10th December 2021.”
“Every MP will have a constituent who is alive today due to a defibrillator being available. These are crucial in saving lives in times in times of Cardiac Arrest.
“I have been in frequent contact with the Oliver King Foundation, a charity that has devoted so much time to saving as many lives as possible. Oliver died due to a Cardiac Arrest in 2011. Subsequently, I met with Maria Caufield MP, who brought the AED Bill to Parliament in 2018 but unfortunately the bill fell.
“This bill fell in Parliament and had to be reintroduced. Through the Oliver King Foundation, over 1000 AEDs had been distributed across the UK and this has saved over 57 lives. This is a clear illustration that there is a need right across the country for this legislation to be introduced.”
Mr Shannon added: “In conjunction with the British Heart Foundation, The Oliver King Foundation are already making and distributing AEDs across the UK. The introduction of this legislation is a win-win situation… a win for our government, a win for our constituents and a win for all those lives that have the potential to be saved.”
