EU child helpline - Children still not priority in this state

The Government is obligated to promote a new freephone hotline for missing children that is supposed to be operational throughout the European Union from May 25, 2011.

A special harmonised number – 116000 – is to be used as a hotline to report missing children from anywhere within the EU.

The Commissioner for Communications Regulation has announced that he had received no application to operate the hotline number in this country, even though it has been available since 2007. Other legislation to provide protection for children has been delayed because of the need for a constitutional referendum.