Written Answers. - Parliamentary Debates - Houses of the Oireachtas

Questions— 14 February 2012. Written Answers
Missing Persons
86. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if it is
her intention to have the national missing children’s hotline, when established, run by a State
agency or outsourced to a private company; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[8064/12]
Minister for Children and Youth Affairs (Deputy Frances Fitzgerald): Under EU telecoms
rules agreed in 2009, the 116000 number is reserved in all EU member states for a missing
children hotline. My Department established and led a cross-sectoral Project Team, including
representatives of my own Department, the Department of Justice and Equality, ComReg and
An Garda Síochána to advance this matter.
The position is that Comreg, who have responsibility for allocation of this number in Ireland,
received an application to operate the Hotline from the ISPCC. Following cross departmental
consultation and an examination of the issues involved by the Project team, Comreg has now
allocated the number to the ISPCC.
In the coming months the Project Team will now work to ensure that the Hotline becomes
operational as soon as possible and operates in a way that supports and augments existing
arrangements to secure child protection.
Child Care Services
87. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the way
she interacts with other Government Departments in order to ensure the evaluation of legislation
which affects children from a child-focused perspective; if she will outline her role in the
development and implementation of the child poverty strategy across the relevant organs of
the State; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8008/12]
Minister for Children and Youth Affairs (Deputy Frances Fitzgerald): My Department is
charged with leading the development of harmonised policy and quality integrated service
delivery to secure better outcomes for children and young people. The Department, as part of
the deliberative process of Government, routinely contributes observations on proposals for
legislation and any possible impacts on children and young people that are identified through
the impact assessment and poverty proofing processes, undertaken in line with Cabinet
Handbook.
The many dimensions to the well-being of children and young people require my Department
to work across Government and with a wide range of stakeholders to promote the physical,
emotional and economic well being of children and young people. Building strong collaborative
relationships with Government departments to achieve these aims is a key objective in the
Department’s Strategy Statement 2011-2014.
Tackling child poverty is a priority for Government and a goal of the National Action Plan
for Social Inclusion 2007- 2016, coordinated by the Department of Social Protection. Children
are more likely to be poor if they are living in lone parent households with low labour market
participation and dependant on income support. The departments of Social Protection, Jobs,
Enterprise and Innovation and Education and Skills, are working to deliver a range of measures
aimed at getting people back to work.
My Department works closely with the Department of Social Protection in a “whole of
Government approach” to tackling poverty in the population. The Department is represented
on the Advisory Group on Tax and Social Welfare established by the Minister for Social
Protection to examine issues to do with the interactions of the tax and welfare systems so that
332