Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 25 Jul 1996

Vol. 468 No. 4

Written Answers. - Missing Wexford Person.

John Browne

Question:

47 Mr. Browne (Wexford) asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if his attention has been drawn to the fact that a person (details supplied) in County Wexford has been missing in Northern India since 1995; the efforts, if any, his Department has made through the Irish Embassy in Delhi, to trace the whereabouts of this missing person; if so, if it has been established whether he is alive, killed accidentally or otherwise on the climbing expedition; and whether funds will be made available through his Department towards a fund-raising venture set up by the family and friends of this person who are anxious to travel to Northern India with professional climbers in order to establish what has happened and to try and locate the missing person. [15394/96]

Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs (Mr. Spring)

I am aware that, sadly, this person has not been heard of since 29 June 1995 when he wrote to a friend from New Delhi prior to starting a month-long trek alone through mountains in Northern India.

Since we were informed in October that he was missing, my Department and the Embassy in New Delhi have done everything in their power to trace him. A visa for Pakistan was issued to him on 28 June. We therefore asked the Indian and Pakistani authorities to establish whether and when he might have left India and entered, and perhaps left, Pakistan. The authorities in the Indian State of Jammu and Kashmir were put on alert and asked to check records such as trekking permits and those at police check-posts. Notices and posters with the missing person's photograph and description were distributed to police, tourist offices and Irish religious orders in the area of the planned trek and other Irish people travelling there were asked to be on the alert. Regrettably, these inquiries have so far produced no information as to whether the person may be still alive or what may have happened to him. The Department and the Embassy will continue to pursue these inquiries.

I am sorry to have to inform the Deputy that there are no funds at my disposal which could be made available to defray the cost of sending somebody to India to try to locate the missing person.