A potentially life-saving defibrillator, that was stolen from outside a shop in Co Louth, has been found.

Patients no longer have to wait for life-saving blood transfusions until they get to a hospital.

Stricter penalties for those who vandalise defibrillators are being proposed, following a number of incidents around the country where the life-saving devices were damaged beyond use.

Insurance companies have been accused of “putting lives at risk” by loading levies of up to 20% on premiums for motorists who volunteer to respond to medical emergencies in their communities.

A network of specially trained volunteers, who can be called on to attend cardiac victims before an ambulance arrives, is being rolled out across the country.