I am absolutely thrilled that the campaign led by a group of bright students from Troqueer primary school is now being brought to parliament. They successfully lodged a well supported petition calling for Automated External Defibrillators (AED's) to be installed in both primary and secondary schools in Scotland. After being discussed by the Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee, it was unanimously agreed that the petition will be kept open and will be discussed further, a marvellous step in fulfilling the goal of Troqueer primary school pupils.
I was delighted to meet with the pupils to encourage them to start the petition, as well submit a formal submission backing the Troqueer school bid. This was to make my strong views on their campaign known, which hopefully participated in the rich support it deserved.
To get to this stage alone is a wonderful achievement and I sincerely hope that the petition continues receiving the support it deserves. In my submission, I highlighted the tireless efforts that have been made by Troqueer primary students in their quest to ensure that every Scottish school has access to an AED.
In my submission, I wrote that while there is a local defibrillator, the pupils discovered that it was too far away to have a positive impact on anybody who might suffer cardiac arrest at the school. Given the importance of the issue and the lives that could be saved, the pupils decided to start a campaign to provide crucial AED's in every Scottish School. As they have correctly pointed out, during busy periods there can be up to 500 people on school premises, stressing the importance of this piece of equipment.
So I welcome the news that the petition will remain open for discussion since this piece of equipment can save countless lives and I will continue offering my unwavering support.
