Campaigners anger at Parliament Defibrillator revelation!

CAMPAIGNERS on 8 January 2012 were left gobsmacked after hearing London Ambulance Service announced on 18 December 2012 that the Houses of Parliament had just received 16 lifesaving Defibrillators, 3 days before Health Minister's refused to meet campaigners for the 2nd time.  At the end of November 2012, campaigners including Mark King father of 12 year old Oliver King, and Foundation Patron Councillor Jake Morrison visited Number 10 Downing Street to hand-deliver a letter to the Prime Minister's office, requesting an urgent meeting following the Government's 'snub' of their e-petitions. The same letter had been sent to Health Minister Anna Soubry MP. The Prime Minister's office responded by saying:- "I hope that you will appreciate that the Department of Health is best placed to respond to the matters you raise." This response was followed by an email from Health Minister Anna Soubry's office, who said that:- "the provision of defibrillators is no longer a responsibility which falls to the Department of Health."

This is the 2nd Government rejection as ex-Health Minister Simons Burns MP refused to meet campaigners earlier on this year. On the same day campaigners handed a letter to Number 10, The Rt Hon Ed Miliband MP said:- "Access to a defibrillator would save lives. On behalf of the Labour Party, I am happy to support your campaign."   Oliver's father Mark King said:- "We have worked flat out since January 2012 on this campaign. We have had great announcements including 122 Liverpool Primary Schools getting Defibrillators, and we've had the 2 Government minister rejections, but we have carried on. But it is a smack in the face to see that they are happy to receive 16 Defibrillators, but not discuss with us the rest of the Country. What about our Children. 12 young people die of SADS every week. This is not something that should be brushed away. It would seem that they are just dismissing us as a small campaign, but we now have a great record, all in the name of my son Oliver."  Councillor Jake Morrison, Patron of The Oliver King Foundation and creator of the e-petition, said:- "I think it is actually a really good thing that the Houses of Parliament now have 16 Defibrillators. This equipment saves lives, and that is the aim of our e-petition. But what I cannot understand is that there seems to be an attitude of ''this is good enough for MPs but not for the general public.'' This is where people lose faith in politics. Those people who are following our campaign on a day-to-day basis find out that after 2 Government meeting rejections, they then receive 16 Defibrillators from the London Ambulance Service. The Houses of Parliament authorities clearly feel that the staff, Parliamentarians and visitors will benefit from on-site defibrillators. We feel that they will also benefit staff, pupils and passers-by right across the Country. We only want to get our point across that we want a mandatory Defibrillator law, but we are chasing our tails, with the Prime Ministers office telling us the Department of Health should deal with it, and they say they don't. It seems that the Minister is trying to dismiss the campaign by suggesting it is not their responsibility. If saving lives is not a matter for the Department of Health then something is deeply wrong. Former Health Secretary Andy Burnham MP backs our campaign for Defibrillators in all schools and public buildings. The current National Defibrillator Programme does not go far enough. We want a mandatory law right across the Country."   For more information about the Oliver King Foundation, visit:- theoliverkingfoundation.co.uk, also we recommend that you read a related report in this issue.