Deirdre Clune (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 62: To ask the Minister for Justice and Law Reform if his Department is working closely with Justice Departments in other EU countries to combat child abduction; if Ireland will be part of any EU initiative on child abduction and the promotion of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39582/10]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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Ireland is a party to the Hague Convention, a Council of Europe Convention and an EU Regulation on the civil aspects of international child abduction by a parent in defiance of the rights of the other parent. Among the functions of the Central Authority that operates in my Department for the purposes of the Conventions and the Regulation is that of cooperating with the Central Authorities of other member states to secure the prompt return of children and to exchange information relating to the whereabouts of a child and the identity of the person with whom the child is presumed to be.

Operation of the Conventions and the Regulation as between member states is reviewed centrally at regular intervals and the State, through my Department, is represented at those meetings. The latest initiative at EU level was a Seminar organised by the Belgian Presidency on 14th October to promote the concept of mediation where possible as an alternative to court proceedings to secure the return of a child.

The Deputy may also wish to note that, at my request, the Garda Síochána Inspectorate has assessed the need to establish a dedicated Missing Persons' Unit within an Garda Síochána. One of its main recommendations is that an emergency alert system for missing children, similar to the Amber Alert System in place in other countries, should be established.

I gave the go ahead for the implementation of this recommendation. An Garda Síochána is committed to its implementation, and they are currently exploring options to achieve the most appropriate structure to give effect to the recommendation, taking account of progress at international level in the development of alert systems for missing children.