We will be ‘laughing stock’ over hotline for missing children

THE Government will be obliged to promote a new EU-wide hotline for missing children from May 2011 – even though the service will be unavailable in Ireland for the foreseeable future.

Members of the Oireachtas Committee on Communications yesterday expressed astonishment over delays in establishing a special 116000 hotline to report missing children, including cases of suspected child abduction across Europe.

Senator Joe O’Toole said it was outrageous that a situation would be allowed to develop where a vital service that was unavailable in the Republic would be promoted by the Government. “We’ll be made the laughing stock of Europe” remarked Mr O’Toole.