Child abduction authority dealt with close to 300 cases in 2012

The central authority for child abduction in Ireland dealt with 276 cases last year - 147 of which were new and 129 of which were carried over from the previous year.

One hundred and twenty four were incoming from other countries and 152 were outgoing.

Of the 147 new applications, 46% involved the UK, 10% involved Poland; 8% involved Latvia; 24% involved other European countries; and 12% involved other countries including the US, Canada, Australia and South Africa.

Commenting on the publication of the figures, the Justice Minister Alan Shatter said parental abduction continues to be a worrying problem and urged parents to use mediation services to resolve their differences.