On Thursday I was excited to go and visit Heathrow Airport along with a delegation of parliamentarians to see how the aviation industry are beginning to recover.

We were given a tour of the airport and got to see some of the operational processes in action, as well as hearing from industry representatives about the impact the last eighteen months has had on operations, the sector and the wider economy.

Jim Shannon, Member for Strangford, was successful in securing a Westminster Hall Debate on the importance of public access to AEDs (Automated External Defibrillators).

This is an incredibly important issue as in cases where AEDs are used by members of the public on someone experiencing cardiac arrest, chances of survival rise by a massive 50%. Unfortunately, provision of AEDs in public spaces remains low.

I was grateful to have the opportunity to make two interventions during the debate. First, to highlight the important role local elected representatives have to play. I noted the contribution of Blantyre councillor, Cllr Mo Razzaq, in securing the new public AED outside Strachan Butchers.

I later had the chance to speak of the issues faced in rural locations, where ambulance call-out times can be lengthy. This is important because following cardiac arrest, the chances of survival fall by 20% for each minute that passes.

You can watch the debate on ParliamentTV.