Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 28 May 2013
592. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if the 116000 number is funded by the Government; if so, if she will confirm the amount granted in each of the past three years; the extent of the marketing campaign to promote the 116000 number and the way that campaign is funded; the number of calls received by the 116000 line since it was established; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25955/13]
View answerThe 116000 Missing Children Hotline is operated by the ISPCC in liaison with a cross-sectoral Project Team, chaired by my Department. I am delighted to confirm that the phased implementation of the service, which commenced in December 2012, operating on a reduced hours pilot basis, has now become a full-time 24/7 service since Monday the 22nd of April 2013.
The ISPCC submitted an application for funding to the Department of Children and Youth Affairs to cover the establishment and running of the Hotline. This application has been approved for €50,240 for the establishment and operational period from June to December 2012 and €87,631 for 2013. Future applications for running costs will be considered in the context of the annual budget estimates process. The ISPCC has also been successful in securing EU Daphne funding of €141,422 to support the establishment of the line.
The promotion of the Hotline has been ongoing since the service opened in 2012. There have been numerous press releases issued by the DCYA and the ISPCC, the 116 000 Missing Children Hotline has been covered in the print (9 articles) and broadcast (6 radio stations) media since opening in May 2012. There has also been an on- going website and social media presence utilising ISPCC, Facebook and Twitter to highlight the service as well as information on missing children. ISPCC staff and volunteers have worked to disseminate posters in local areas and posters have been distributed nationally by the Gardaí. The Missing Children Hotline will be officially launched on the 7th of June 2013. Following this launch the awareness campaign for the service will be escalated nationally. A dedicated website www.missingchildrenhotline.ie will also be launched by the ISPCC.
In addition I can confirm that memoranda of understanding between the ISPCC and the HSE, my Department and the Gardaí, respectively were finalised in advance of the commencement of the pilot in December 2012. The funding received from both the EU Daphne fund and from my Department includes, in the establishment costs, the national promotion and advertisement of this Hotline service.
The missing children hotline has been operating on a fulltime basis since end April, 2013. Reliable data on calls is not available prior to this point. The ISPCC will submit quarterly activity data to my Department, which will include information on the number of calls received by the service. It is expected that data on calls to the service since its establishment on a fulltime basis will be available in the next quarter, and henceforth on a quarterly basis.
