Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I completely understand the motivation behind Senator Walsh's motion and I have great sympathy with it, but I would prefer Deputy Durkan's motion, which makes our point in the way we need to make it but does not unnecessarily jeopardise very fragile negotiations that are going on about inter-country adoption. I agree with Deputy Walsh that we should not allow ourselves to be intimidated and it would be completely wrong if we were. However we should not necessarily go out of our way to cause offence when such delicate negotiations, which mean so much to so many people in Ireland, are under way. Many people have been in the adoption application process for years and years. As we all know, as a result of the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption, a bilateral agreement has to be negotiated with Russia. The Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputy Frances Fitzgerald, as well as the previous Minister, have gone to great lengths to bring those talks closer to conclusion. The Minister has been to Russia. A Russian delegation is coming shortly to Ireland.