Ms Patricia White:

One of the key points for people is a choice of service. Not everybody wishes to go to their local Tusla service. They might know somebody who works there or they may be one of the many people who work in the health services and they might be concerned about privacy issues. People must have a choice and that is one reason that the accredited bodes and other bodies apart from Tusla should be able to offer a service. It might not suit the person to have to go to Tusla. Basically, what is required are services that appeal to people.

It may be to join a group to meet other people in the same boat for some peer support. It may not necessarily be a counselling session. The word "counselling" is inappropriate, given that it suggests there is a problem. Adopted people do not have a problem; they have issues that they need to tease out, which is different. If we could find another word to use such as "preparation" or "consideration", it would be better. Delay is a major issue. Social media are passing us all out and in a way have made the Bill almost defunct. While it is a major issue, there are others around adoption.

Deputy Robert Troy asked how one would know if one had been adopted and illegally registered, given that one would have a regular birth certificate. Most people discover this after their adoptive parents - their parents, as they knew them - die. They may discover it, unfortunately, at a funeral or other family function when somebody drops the bombshell in asking, "Did you ever go looking for your mother?" The adopted person says, "Sure, I grew up with her," and the other person says, "No, you did not." There may be many older people who would have known the birth mother or known that the person was adopted. The adopted person was generally born in a nursing home or at home rather than in a hospital. During the years we have spoken to approximately 80 people who were falsely registered. We have much experience in hearing the unfortunate way they heard about it, which very often was too late, given that the people who have would known were no longer around to ask.