Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independents 4 Change)
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141. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to ensure that the 116 000 EU missing children hotline number be on public display at airports and ports. [15611/23]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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Under EU telecoms rules agreed in 2009, the 116 000 number is reserved in all EU member states for a missing children hotline. In Ireland, the 116 000 Missing Children Hotline (MCH) number is operated by the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (ISPCC). The MCH is not an emergency number but is available to provide emotional support and advice to young people and adults in relation to missing children. Any caller seeking to report a missing child is advised to notify the Gardaí at 999 or 112. The MCH can be contacted for free 24 hours a day, every day and a Missing Children Website is also in operation.

My Department provides annual funding to the ISPCC towards the cost of operating the MCH.

The ISPCC advertise the MCH online and across social media where they target parents and children to raise awareness of the service. Facebook is a key platform for the promotion of the service. Children and young people that go missing are, when officially notified by the Gardaí, profiled on the Missing Children Website and shared on social media. The ISPCC also cover the role of the MCH when completing outreaches in schools or Transition Year events nationally. The ISPCC have advised that they do not advertise the MCH in airports or ports and do not have any plans to do so currently.