Vol. 575 No. 3
307 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the extent to which extra facilities can be made available to assist in the tracking of missing persons; the total number of persons currently listed as missing; the total of such reports in the past year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28402/03]
The missing persons bureau at Garda headquarters is responsible for data relating to missing persons. When a person is reported missing the local Garda district officer takes direct responsibility for the investigation. He or she will appoint an investigation team to include any specialised unit deemed necessary such as the national bureau of criminal investigation or the technical bureau. The services of other agencies, such as Interpol and Europol, are also available to assist in the investigation. In addition, every district has a specially trained search team that is familiar with the locality.
The Garda authorities have assured me that every effort is made to locate all missing persons and the current procedures for dealing with missing persons are considered adequate. Their view is that while specialist units prove extremely useful in investigating certain types of crime, the nature of missing persons cases requires specific local knowledge both about the area and the circumstances of the person who is missing. All files on missing persons remain open and under continuous review until the person is located or, in the case of a missing person who is presumed drowned, a verdict to that effect by the coroner.
A missing persons helpline has been operating since October 2002. It is a dedicated helpline operated by Victim Support as a counselling and referral service and as a primary point of contact for the families of missing persons. It provides advice and psychological support for families of missing persons as well as structured liaison with the Garda Síochána. My Department allocated €65,000 to it in 2002 and a further €45,000 in 2003.
The Garda authorities are in discussions with John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York. This is being done with a view to exploring the possibility of agreeing exchanges of personnel with missing persons expertise.
I regret that in the time available it has not been possible to obtain the statistics requested by the Deputy. I will contact him when they are available.
