Education Minister Paul Givan has announced a plan to provide defibrillators to all Northern Ireland schools.

A survey revealed that fewer than half of the schools currently have Automated External Defibrillators on site.

The Department of Education will allocate more than £700,000 of funding to supply defibrillators to about 600 schools.

Mr Givan said: "I am very pleased that all schools in Northern Ireland are to be provided with a defibrillator before the end of the current academic year.

"This funding will potentially save lives.

"Wherever possible, defibrillators will be located on the external boundaries of schools and importantly will be available to local communities."

Michael Bloomfield, chief executive of the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service, welcomed the initiative.

He said: "The importance of defibrillators in schools cannot be overstated.

"These life-saving devices can give children, staff, visitors and our wider community the chance to survive a sudden cardiac arrest and continue to live healthy, active lives.

“I am delighted that all school defibrillators will be registered with The Circuit - the national defibrillator network - which provides the NHS ambulance services with vital information about defibrillators across the UK so that they can be accessed quickly when required.”

The initiative builds on the existing curriculum requirements for CPR and AED awareness.