Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 110: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the transitional measures she intends to introduce in the Adoption Bill 2009 to ensure that couples who are in an advanced stage (details supplied) of adopting a child from a non-Hague signatory country, will be able to complete their adoption; her views on introducing a clause that would allow a couple who has adopted from a non-Hague signatory country, to be allowed to adopt a second child from that country; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43478/09]

Barry Andrews (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The Adoption Bill, 2009, is designed to give force of law to the Hague Convention on the Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Inter-country Adoption. The new legislation, which incorporates the provisions of the Hague Convention, is designed to provide a framework to ensure that appropriate procedures have been followed and that all adoptions are effected in the best interests of the child. Future intercountry adoption arrangements will be governed by the terms of the Adoption Bill 2009, when enacted. The current policy position, as set out in the Adoption Bill 2009, is that for an adoption to be registered under the Bill it must be effected in a contracting State to the Hague Convention or in a country with which Ireland has a bilateral agreement. For non-Hague countries only those adoptions effected prior to the commencement of the new law can be registered on the Register of Inter-Country Adoptions to be established under the Bill. The issue of transitional measures for prospective parents who are at a definable stage in the adoption process when the Bill is enacted and who wish to continue to adopt a child from a non-Hague, non-bilateral country, is being examined. Prospective adoptive parents have waited a long time and it is my intention to be as flexible as possible in relation to applicants. The issue of a "grandfather" clause was previously given careful and detailed consideration in the preparation of the legislation and it was decided against including such a provision in the Bill as it would represent a considerable dilution of the intent of the legislation in terms of setting improved standards for inter-country adoption.