TAOISEACH BERTIE Ahern yesterday met the mother and step-father of Amy Fitzpatrick, the Dublin teenager who has been missing from the Costa del Sol in Spain since New Year's Day.
Mr Ahern held a half-hour meeting with Audrey Fitzpatrick and Dave Mahon, mother and step-father of Amy Fitzpatrick (15). It was held in his office in Government Buildings at lunchtime yesterday.
Following the meeting, he said he would ask the Irish Embassy in Madrid to convene a meeting between the family, Irish officials and the Spanish police to progress the investigation.
The meeting was held at the request of the family.
According to his office, Mr Ahern heard of the distress to Amy's family since her disappearance and empathised with their "extremely upsetting situation". He repeated an offer made by the Government to provide any assistance it could.
A statement issued by his office after the meeting stated: "Mr Ahern emphasises in particular the willingness of the Irish Embassy in Madrid to assist.
"The Taoiseach said he would ask the embassy to convene a meeting between the family, Irish officials and the Spanish police in order to have a comprehensive review of where the investigation now stands." There have been no sightings of the teenager since she went missing while walking from a friend's house to her home near the resort Fuengirola in southern Spain. There were suggestions initially that Amy was unhappy in Spain where she had moved with her mother and stepfather and wanted to return home to Dublin, where her father lives.
Yesterday the Government said that the Department of Foreign Affairs, through the Irish Embassy in Madrid, has been in regular contact with Ms Fitzpatrick and Mr Mahon as well as with Amy's family living in Ireland.
It was also pointed out that the embassy has remained in regular contact with the senior police officer leading the investigation in Spain and that An Garda Síochána have also provided assistance.