Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am grateful for the opportunity to speak on the Adoption (Amendment) Bill 2013. I welcome the Bill and thank the Minister for dealing with this in a very serious manner. I raised this matter with the Minister on 3 December and I welcome her response today. The Bill is about ensuring justice and fairness for these children and their families. They need safeguards, protection and stability. Up to today, these families were living through a nightmare through no fault of their own. The Russian adoptions they were in the process of completing before the deadline of 31 October were stopped in their tracks due to a change in the law in Russia. Since then, these families have been doing everything in their power to raise awareness of their plight and have called on the Minister to intervene on their behalf to come to a resolution. They were extremely worried that the children they wanted to adopt would no longer be available. They were very worried and upset, particularly in the lead-up to Christmas. The Bill before us on this last sitting day must be supported because it will have an immediate impact on the lives of these families. All Members of this House should support this legislation, which resolves a personal crisis and protects the rights of families.

In debates such as this we must always focus on the best interests of the child. In that context, I commend and thank all adoptive parents for the massive contribution they have made to their children and to the stability of families. We must also pay tribute to the magnificent work of foster parents, who make a huge contribution to the welfare of children in this State. Foster families have rescued many children from crisis situations and dysfunctional families. Children, society and the State benefit from the work of adoptive and foster parents. Adoptive and foster families really are doing the State some service. I have first-hand experience of both adoption and fostering in my immediate family and I have seen the massive contribution that has made to society. I wish to pay particular tribute to the adoptive and foster parents of children with disabilities.

I agree with Deputy Daly's point about the need to monitor adoption regulations and to focus always on the rights of the child. We must be conscious of the fact that unscrupulous people are operating in this area. Regulation and proper safeguards are vital in that context. Legislation such as this should always be child-centred and should focus on the rights of children. Many children are being exploited throughout the world and we must remember that.

The purpose of the Bill is to extend the period of declarations of eligibility and suitability which apply to the Russian Federation for one year to 31 October 2014 for those prospective adoptive parents who held such declarations on 31 October 2013. Section 1 of the Bill provides that a declaration of eligibility and suitability in respect of the Russian Federation that had been issued to a prospective adoptive parent and which was valid on 31 October 2013 shall be extended for a period of one year and shall expire on 31 October 2014. The section provides that any such declaration that has been extended shall not be amended to specify any state other than the Russian Federation as the state to which the declaration applies. That is what this Bill is about and it is important to know the details. However, while looking at the nuts and bolts of the legislation, we must focus on couples who want to amend the Act so that they have the extra year to complete the process. That is the key issue in this legislation. As colleagues have mentioned, several Irish couples have come forward to outline the problem they faced in this regard.

The Adoption Act 2010 provides for adoptions from countries that have ratified the Hague Convention or countries with which we have a bilateral adoption agreement. I strongly support that position. This legislation is about assisting and protecting children and families. It is also about giving children the chance of a good, stable, warm and bright future.

I thank and commend the Minister, Deputy Frances Fitzgerald, for listening to the voices of the parents and urge everybody to support the legislation.

See this speech in context