Ciara Conway (Waterford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Perhaps the time I have is a little Christmas present from my constituency colleague, Deputy John Deasy.

I thank the Minister and her officials for bringing the Bill before the House. Like Deputy John Deasy, I have a number of constituents who have been impacted on by the change in the legislation.

I am interested in the issue of foreign adoptions, about which I have spoken in the House previously. I have followed the debate with interest. Deputy Robert Troy spoke about his concern in terms of the time it has taken to complete the process. Deputy Clare Daly referred to the scrutiny in which we must engage in international adoptions. If we get it right, no period of time is too long. I think we have achieved this, which is important.

I understand families were under pressure and that it is an emotive issue. What we are really talking about is safeguarding children’s rights. What happened was due to a change in foreign policy by the Russian Government, which is trying to promote the adoption of Russian children within Russia. It is perfectly entitled to do this. What happened was that some Irish parents were caught in the cross-fire. I am pleased that the parents with declarations will now have the additional time they require to adopt their children.

It took us many years to sign the Hague Convention, which is important in protecting children, not just in the adoption process. It also comes into play in the case of a contentious marriage or relationship break-up when children are taken out of the country by one or other of the partners. It is an important international document which safeguards the rights of children.

Foreign adoption is a difficult and loaded subject and I speak from personal experience. I have a sister who is now 22 years old who was originally adopted from Romania in the 1990s. It is an emotive issue both for my sister’s family who live in Romania and my family who live in Waterford. We are cognisant of how lucky we are to have her living with us and the sacrifices her family made. Our laws must be reflective of the situation and ensure it is always the rights of the child that are considered, not the rights of the parents.

I commend the Minister. We have got the balance right in the Bill. It is both a humanitarian approach and good law, which is important. On the previous occasion when we had a considered debate on international adoption in this House, it was focused on Vietnam. I accept that I am straying a little, but I would be grateful if the Minister indicated whether there was any progress in that regard. We have a bilateral agreement with Vietnam. Other families are also waiting in hope of establishing a family and it would be wonderful if the Minister had some news in that regard.

I thank the parents who took the brave decision to engage in foreign adoptions. It is not easy to go through the process. When they met difficulty, they took it upon themselves to lobby and engage with us. It is a good example of how politics can work. I thank the Minister for her approach and I am delighted to say I support the Bill. We will make Christmas very happy for some families in Ireland.

See this speech in context