Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 193: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if her attention has been drawn to the fact that as of 1 January 2010 the 116000 number reserved by the EU for an EU-wide missing children hotline service has been assigned to service providers in 12 countries and is functioning in 11; if she is concerned that Ireland is not amongst these and if she will take the immediate steps necessary including making the necessary funding available to enable the 116000 hotline to be up and running in Ireland on an island wide basis. [21806/10]

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 194: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the steps required to give effect to the new Article 27a relating to 116 numbers in Directive 2002/22/EC which requires member states to make every effort to ensure citizens have access to a service operating a hotline to report cases of missing children and when she intends to stop delaying and deliver on this. [21809/10]

Barry Andrews (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 193 and 194 together.

I have discussed the proposal to put in place a hotline for missing children that is operational in some EU Member States with members of charitable organisations and non-governmental organisations with a view to providing some level of service. I will keep the Deputy informed of developments in this regard.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 195: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the number of children who went missing from Health Service Executive care and the location they were found at in these circumstances. [21812/10]

Barry Andrews (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I wish to advise the Deputy that due to industrial action in the public service by members of IMPACT, the HSE is not in a position to provide a response to this Parliamentary Question within the normal timeframe.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 196: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if she is concerned that the Health Service Executive is in denial regarding the risk of trafficking to children in its care; and the steps she will take to address this grave matter. [21813/10]

Barry Andrews (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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It is a matter of great concern that a number of children go missing after they enter the State. Separated children going missing from care is not a phenomenon unique to Ireland. The issue of separated children who go missing from care is complex. There has been a tendency to equate all missing children with trafficking. However the HSE advise that there is evidence to indicate that some of these individuals may be adults who disappeared before a comprehensive age assessment process could be undertaken by the HSE. It has been acknowledged by the HSE and also by other relevant statutory agencies that there are several factors that may contribute to the disappearance of a child from care and these are the following:-

The child's appeal for asylum has been refused and he/she is nearing eighteen and is reacting to the pending threat of repatriation.

The person has been smuggled into the country to join the workforce on a consensual basis and is availing of the child protection service as a fast track route into the State.

The child has been trafficked into the State by traffickers using the child protection service as a route.

The HSE has developed a strong working relationship with the Garda National Immigration Bureau (G.N.I.B.) in relation to missing children. The level of interagency cooperation between the H.S.E. and the G.N.I.B. has been consistently high and has intensified in recent years. A Joint National Protocol on Children who go missing from care has been agreed between the Garda and the H.S.E.. Several meetings have taken place between H.S.E. management, the G.N.I.B., and local Garda to adapt this protocol in terms of application to separated children who go missing. The following measures were agreed:-

Collaborative interviewing at the ports between social workers and Gardai.

Fingerprinting of persons presenting as underage at the ports, for tracking purposes.

Planned Garda surveillance of those at risk of going missing from the point of presentation at ports to the initial placement period in hostels.

Monitoring of the notification system of missing persons to local Gardai to be closely monitored by Garda Inspectors.

Joint training of H.S.E. staff and Gardai/ G.N.I.B. staff in relation to children at high risk of going missing.

Sharing of photographic evidence between H.S.E. and Gardai.

My Office and the H.S.E. have also worked closely with the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform on the development of the National Action Plan on Anti-Human Trafficking and I am committed to ensuring that we play an active part in combating trafficking as outlined in this plan.

In addition the Implementation Plan arising from the Report of the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse, 2009 contains a commitment that separated children will be accommodated in mainstream care, instead of hostels by December 2010. This move from hostel accommodation to residential and foster care should help to ensure that fewer children go missing. The HSE is phasing out the hostel arrangements and putting in place appropriate 24 hour care staff arrangements in the remaining hostels until they are closed. A number of hostels have already closed and the remaining ones are to close this year.

I am satisfied that the efforts made by the HSE and GNIB to address concerns regarding separated children are yielding some progress. Both agencies are committed to intensifying their joint work in this area with a view to preventing children from going missing and locating those who do.