Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 1045: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if his attention has been drawn to claims that a greater number of children who entered the State as unaccompanied minors are missing from the care of the Health Service Executive than the number listed on the Garda website missing persons index; and the reason for this continuing discrepancy. [25732/05]

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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The Health Service Executive, HSE, has statutory responsibility for the provision of care to unaccompanied minors. I have been informed by the HSE that they report all cases of missing unaccompanied minors to local gardaí and the Garda national immigration bureau. I am unaware of any specific claims to which the Deputy might be referring.

The Garda missing persons website is only one of a number of facilities available to the Garda in its search for missing minors.

A working group, chaired by my Department, and consisting of representatives of the Health Service Executive and the Garda Síochána, meet on a regular basis to examine issues relating to unaccompanied minors.