Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
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224. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will liaise with the Turkish Embassy in Dublin and with the Turkish Government in Ankara with a view to using all possible diplomatic means to help the return of 54 missing children (details supplied) and the return of the bodies of those missing children that may have died; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49949/17]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The attack on a convoy of busses transporting evacuees from the besieged towns of Foua and Kefraya in North West Syria last April, which left over 100 people dead, many of them children, was utterly abhorrent and I, once again, condemn it unreservedly. Attacks on civilians in Syria, such as the bombing of this convoy of evacuees, further underline the need for full accountability for these appalling acts. Those responsible for such crimes must be held accountable. In relation to the allegation of kidnapping raised by the Deputy, it is extremely difficult to get reliable and verified information on the situation and reliable evidence is essential for follow up and accountability. I am not aware of any indication that the 54 children who are still missing are being held in Turkey, and I would be happy to pursue the matter further, if the Deputy will furnish more detail. Conflict and war have a particularly horrific impact on vulnerable groups such as children, and Ireland is committed to working to ensure that their needs are taken into account in humanitarian response in a meaningful way. Ireland will continue to prioritise the protection of civilians, and particularly the most vulnerable of these, including children, in our response to the Syria crisis.

In the meantime, I call on anyone who may have any knowledge about the whereabouts of the missing children, however insignificant it may seem, to make that information known in order to alleviate the suffering of children separated from their families.