Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail)

I extend a warm welcome to the Minister, Deputy Fitzgerald. I had the pleasure of working with her in another capacity in this House. She has hit the ground running. She has an active interest in child care. As chairman of my local county child care committee, I am aware of the priorities the Minister has set since she took up her brief and the manner in which she has been carrying them out. I wish her continued success in that regard. I have had an interest in the issue of missing persons, children in particular, since I began my broadcasting career. Given my close links with the Irish Diaspora during the years, I have had occasion to broadcast requests from families of missing persons and, in some instances, I am glad to say connections have been made. That is the context in which I make my remarks.

I have tried to parse the Minister's contribution in which she talks about setting up a team to examine how best to operationalise the hotline and refers regularly and correctly to the Garda in this regard. I draw the attention of the House to the Report of the Garda Síochána Inspectorate: Missing Persons Review and Recommendations of 2009, with which I am sure the Minister is familiar. In 2009 there were 1,672 reports of missing persons and the number still missing in March that year was 123. Obviously, in this instance we are talking about setting up a hotline to address the issue of missing children. However, it is important to indicate - the Minister has touched on this question in the context of the individuals she will draw into the project team - that the report of the inspectorate reads:

Unlike the scenes depicted in the media, locating a missing person is much more complicated than assembling a police squad, a team of volunteers, and a few well-trained search and rescue dogs. In fact, the missing persons issue is extraordinarily complicated. An investigation may span an urban or suburban neighbourhood, miles of rural countryside, or stretch across several nations and every possible type of transport. It may involve multiple categories and subcategories of missing persons – from children to vulnerable adults, from those who wish to remain missing [of course, this does not apply in the case of children] to those whose lives are endangered until they are found ... Throughout the course of this review, the Garda Inspectorate was struck by the complexity of the missing persons issue and the significant resources that are required to address cases effectively and compassionately. The Inspectorate reached one stark conclusion early in its review – the police cannot address this complex challenge alone. Coordination and communication are essential. Strong partnerships are required, not only within the State but in the international arena as well.

The Minister is attempting to draw all of these disparate forces together and I wish her well in that regard. This highlights again the complexity of the issues involved. It is important and positive that in setting up the project the Minister, from what I have read, is committed to being all-inclusive.

A number of NGOs are doing excellent work. One resource I use in my capacity as a broadcaster to the Irish Diaspora is www.europeanirish.com, the website of an NGO run by a gentleman in Cork which incorporates a number of missing persons agencies which use the website as a link for those who wish to contact them. I am aware of at least three agencies operating in this way. I have no doubt that the Minister, given her reference to NGOs, and her Department are aware of these agencies which are doing a very positive job with very limited resources, for which I commend them.

I commend Senator Jillian van Turnhout for bringing forward the motion. The Minister has made it clear that in spite of or despite our efforts, ultimately, money will raise its somewhat ugly head in this regard. While it seems it will be an expensive operation, I hope the Minister, in her usual direct way, will ensure whatever money is available is given to this exceptionally important initiative.