Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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344. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will investigate a case (details supplied) as a matter of urgency. [5640/17]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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I am very much aware of this particularly distressing parental child abduction case. Regrettably, my Department’s consular team and our Embassies are being called on to deal with an increasing number of cases involving parental abduction of minors across international borders. These cases are particularly difficult and complex where, as in this particular case, the country to which the children have been abducted is not a party to the Hague convention on the Rights of the child. Officials from my Department’s Consular Assistance Unit and the accredited Irish Embassy are providing ongoing consular assistance to this family and are in ongoing liaison also with An Garda Síochána on the case.

Due to the sensitive nature of this consular case, which involves minors, it would not be appropriate for me or my Department to disclose publicly any details of this ongoing case. However, I can assure the Deputy that officials in my Department, both from our Consular Assistance team at HQ and at the Irish Embassy accredited to Algeria, will continue to provide all possible appropriate consular advice and assistance to the family.