MARTIN ASKS FOR REPORTS ON SEARCH FOR GIRL

The Minister for Health, Mr Martin, has asked the Eastern Regional Health
Authority (ERHA) and the Garda to report to him on how 15-year-old Kim
O'Donovan went untraced for a month before her death from a drug overdose.

The Minister told The Irish Times last night that he was seriously concerned
about the gap in time between when Kim went missing from health board care
on July 28th and her death in a Dublin guest-house on Thursday.

The girl's body was found in an upstairs room in the Pillar B & B, Talbot
Street, in Dublin city centre. A man in his 20s who was with her at the time
was questioned by gardai in Store Street station and later released. Mr
Martin said he wanted both reports before the end of next week and the ERHA.
He described the case as tragic and extended his sympathies to Kim's family.
In a statement, her adoptive parents, Mr Ronnie and Mrs Maura O'Donovan,
described Kim as their "treasure". They said she was loved by her family and
friends but was always disturbed.

Barnardos, the children's charity, called for an independent public inquiry
into Kim's death.

Its chief executive, Mr Owen Keenan, said the tragedy suggested the State's
system of care had failed the girl "as it fails a significant proportion of
the children and young people in that system".

Gardai said last night they were continuing to investigate all circumstances
surrounding her death. They said they were awaiting toxicology reports,
following a post-mortem by the State Pathologist, before they could
establish the exact cause of her death.

Earlier yesterday the Garda Siochana defended its handling of her
disappearance, saying its officers had done all they could to trace the
15-year-old.

The Garda Press Office said all Garda stations were notified of her
disappearance and circulated with her details.

Ms Róisin Shortall, Labour spokeswoman on education and children, said the
death was "yet another in the litany of indictments of our care system and
our drug-treatment facilities". She called on the Gardai to state what
actions it had taken to track Kim down, once she was reported missing.

According to the South Western Area Health Board in Dublin, five Garda
stations were initially contacted when Kim disappeared. Since July 28th
health board officials had been in contact with eight stations.

Yesterday, It emphasised yesterday that while the press office had no record
of Kim going missing because it had not been asked to give publicity to the
case, gardai were aware of the case and all stations had been notified.

Ms Monica Egan, president of the Irish Social Workers' Association, called
for a more flexible approach and a wider variety of services for adolescents
with difficulties.

A spokeswoman for the South Western Area Health Board, from whose care Kim
absconded, said there was no question of it reviewing its current care
programme at high support units such as Newtown House, Co Wicklow, where Kim
had stayed before she disappeared.