Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I agree wholeheartedly with the sentiments expressed by my colleague, Deputy Ciara Conway. I have been in regular contact with one of the families affected by this issue and I am very much aware of the distress the uncertainty has caused. It is difficult to imagine a more upsetting scenario than a family waiting to hear whether they can proceed with a planned adoption of a child with whom they have already bonded, as is the case in the set of circumstances with which I am familiar.

I am grateful to the Minister, her staff and advisers and the offices of the Tánaiste and the Attorney General for the time and effort they have dedicated to this sensitive issue in recent months. I raised the matter on a regular basis and everyone who was involved shared my concerns on a humanitarian level and worked extremely hard to address it. It was not easy to draw up the legislation. It required a delicate balancing act as there were many sensitivities at play. We needed to be conscious that whatever amendment we proposed would not jeopardise adoptions from other countries. Drawing up such legislation is difficult at any time, but it is especially so when one is up against a deadline set by a third party, not by the Legislature. It is doubly difficult when one has so many human concerns at play. What the Minister and her staff have achieved is impressive. I congratulate them on bringing the Bill to the House and I am delighted to support it. Without being too pithy; it is, in many ways, an early Christmas present for the families involved.

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