Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for coming before the committee today. I have three questions. First, do the witnesses think people should be able to access information about their siblings? Second, should rights for mothers and relatives of the deceased be included? In the current legislation they have no entitlement; only adopted people do. Third, the Bill states that adopted people applying for birth certificates whose natural parents have registered a no-contact preference must attend an information session before the birth certificate will be released. The session includes things like parents' privacy rights and respecting their contact preferences. It is a compulsory session. Some adopted people have said that if respecting privacy has to be explained to them there is an insinuation that they do not understand it. Is the session necessary? Should it be compulsory or open to all and framed as a service for adopted people and not a measure to ensure they understand the concept of privacy?