I support Senator Hayden's comments on the homelessness issue, which could be usefully debated in this House. A new report indicates the number of people on the streets has increased by 88% since last year, which is alarming. One night in September, 85 people were found sleeping rough, which is incredible. There is no question that there is an upsetting and urgent need for accommodation and assistance for those with nowhere to go, and for whom living has become harsh and dangerous. Something must be done in this regard. The Simon Community has warned that figures could be much higher if we take into account the so-called hidden homeless, who stay in hospitals, Internet cafés and squats. I ask the Leader to arrange a debate on the matter, as we must put some effort into finding a solution.

I have stood mainly to raise the issue of defibrillators, which was raised by Senator Keane last week. I have been examining the matter, and city councils should consider working with Eircom, perhaps under the guidance of the Minister for Health, to retrofit existing telephone boxes with defibrillator machines in towns and villages around the country instead of simply destroying the boxes. This would be a sensible move in two ways. It would allow us to find a useful purpose for the existing boxes and the location of those boxes, which would otherwise revert to pavement when they are demolished in the coming years. It would also allow the public to know exactly where the nearest defibrillator is. People in towns and villages know where the telephone boxes are and they are always easily recognisable. It would be a very good way to make a defibrillator a very obvious part of the landscape in towns and villages. The process has been used in some towns and villages in the UK, and to help prevent vandalism, anybody with a potential heart problem who calls 999 from a village would be given an access code to a vandal-proof steel box. We could follow the example of the UK. Although I do not know if we necessarily need a debate, I hope the Leader might bring the issue to the attention of the Minister for Health, as I will do.

I will follow up on Senator Noone's comments on defibrillators, and she has described a perfect example of what can take place. We have passed First and Second Stages of the appropriate legislation in this House and I ask the Leader to urge the Minister to see if there is any reason we cannot move on with that Bill. There are many other issues that have been mentioned by Senators Keane and Noone, and defibrillators in other parts of the world - particularly in France - are placed outside every town hall and building. The difficulty here is that although we have defibrillators and even if the Bill goes ahead, many office buildings close for the weekend. If somebody needs a defibrillator on a Saturday, Sunday or a bank holiday Monday, there may be a case where a defibrillator is in a building but cannot be obtained. Using telephone boxes is a perfect example of what could be done, and if we use our imagination, we can find other innovations as well. We can save lives and it would be a shame to lose that opportunity. I urge the Leader to encourage the Minister to accept the Bill that has been moved, and we could see improvements on Committee Stage. The suggestion of using old telephone boxes is just one that could come out at that time.