Vol. 485 No. 2
306 Mr. Hogan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of meetings, if any, he has had since 26 June 1997 with relatives of missing persons; if he will indicate the number of meetings, if any, he has had with the relatives of a missing person (details supplied) since taking office; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22825/97]
While I am reluctant to publicise meetings relating to sensitive personal matters such as this, I can confirm that I have met with the family of the person referred to by the Deputy on two occasions since taking office.
I am concerned to ensure that effective arrangements are in place to trace missing persons. In this regard, the question of the value of a centralised Garda missing persons unit is kept under continuous review. Present arrangements are that the Garda divisional officer-district officer takes direct responsibility for investigating missing person cases. The Garda Commissioner considers that investigations of missing persons are more effective when they have the kind of local focus which is achieved under the present arrangements.
Officials of my Department together with gardaí will be travelling to the UK in the New Year to assess the potential value of a new initiative there, involving analysis of data using sophisticated computer software as an aid to investigation. If the initiative shows sufficient promise, I will consider its adoption in this country.
