MISSING PEOPLE

Early day motion 1119, tabled 5 March 2008 by Ann Winterton (Conservative). Signed by 84 members.

That this House expresses its concern about the lack of advice and support available for families and friends of missing people; congratulates the work of the national charity Missing People in its efforts to find and reunite missing persons with their families; notes with concern that Missing People estimates that there are approximately 210,000 people reported as missing each year in the United Kingdom and further estimates that two thirds of these annually are young people aged under 18 years; further notes the need to raise public awareness of the serious problem of missing people; calls on the Government to help families of missing persons to set up internet websites with information and photographs of their missing relatives, to network with other missing persons support groups in other countries in order to search for UK citizens missing abroad, and also to continue improving services both nationally and internationally, and liaise with the Missing Persons organisation in order to facilitate the best possible services for families of missing people; further calls on the Government to introduce a Missing Persons Bill to Parliament, which would include provisions for a counselling service for families of missing people and assist families of missing people with their local media to ensure that a missing person case receives immediate and widespread publicity; and further expresses its support for the families and friends of missing people participating in the Missing People London March from Marble Arch to Downing Street on 12th March.

Signatures by party: Labour 30, Liberal Democrat 28, Conservative 16, DUP 5, Independent 1, Independent Labour 1, Scottish National Party 1, Social Democratic and Labour Party 1, UUP 1.