Conor Lenihan (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)

Like both Deputies, I can only imagine the terrible nightmare being experienced by the family. I assure both Deputies that everything possible will be done by my Department and any other relevant Department to seek an answer to the questions posed by the family. At the outset, I wish to express my solidarity with the plight in which the family of the person mentioned by Deputy Costello find themselves. As all Members will appreciate, this is a difficult and trying time for the family concerned, made all the more difficult by the fact that their loved one has gone missing far away from home.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and the embassy in Slovenia, which is also accredited to Bosnia-Herzegovina, has provided active consular assistance and support to the family of the person in question. In this regard, the embassy in Slovenia has been in ongoing contact with the relevant authorities in Bosnia-Herzegovina, including the local police force, rescue services, politicians and senior officials in the region in which the town of Medjugorje is situated.

A diplomatic officer of the embassy travelled to the region to liaise with local police, relevant agencies and with officials involved in the search. During the visit, the officer also had many meetings with members of the missing person's family. Subsequently, the Irish ambassador travelled to Medjugorje and to the regional capital, Mostar, to review the search arrangements.

Since the person's disappearance, there have been six largescale searches, some of which involved the use of a helicopter provided by the officer commanding the European Union police mission in Bosnia-Herzegovina. In addition to these largescale searches, there have been more localised searches. Searching continues and an officer from the Irish Embassy will again shortly visit Medjugorje to review the situation. Members of the Garda Síochána and the Defence Forces on EU service in Bosnia-Herzegovina have also participated actively and helpfully in the searches for the missing person.

I assure the Deputies that since the person's disappearance, the consular division of the Department of Foreign Affairs has provided all possible consular assistance and support to her family. In this regard, the husband of the missing person has expressed warm appreciation for all the assistance he has received from the Department and from the Irish Embassy in Slovenia. I can also confirm that senior officials of the consular division recently met with other family members of the person.

I assure the Deputies that the Department will continue to provide all possible consular assistance and support, including, as indicated above, a third visit at an early date by an officer of the embassy to Medjugorje to review the search operation. I will personally convey the specific request made in the context of this debate to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Dermot Ahern, with a view to setting up a meeting with all relevant individuals.

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