Eoghan Murphy (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
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Question 125: To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality his plans to introduce the 116000 European hotline for missing children; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16851/11]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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I am informed that the telephone number to which the Deputy refers has been reserved by the European Commission as a common missing children telephone hotline for the entire EU. It is made available by national telecoms regulators to organisations they consider to be qualified to offer such a service. The allocation of the number in Ireland is therefore a matter in the first instance for the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg) and the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources.

I am informed that ComReg has published an information note on its website which makes all relevant information available to potential applicants who may wish to provide the 116 000 service. It also issued on a number of occasions national press advertisements inviting applications, most recently on 20 June.