Mairead Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

This section relates to the incorrect birth registration payment. The ordering of the amendments was confusing.

We support the insertion of this new section to facilitate this payment but we have serious concerns that this ex gratiapayment, along with the flawed Birth Information and Tracing Act, could be used as a means to avoid further interrogation of Ireland's illegal birth registration. In March, Sinn Féin called on the Minister to implement the recommendations of Professor Conor O'Mahony's outstanding exposé into illegal birth registrations. In 2019, an independent review of a sample of records held by Tusla and the Adoption Authority of Ireland found that up to 20,000 adoption records could potentially relate to cases of illegal birth registration, including the use of false names or false dates of birth, the absence of valid consent to adoption and profiteering from adoptions.

An independent review of a sample of records held by Tusla and the Adoption Authority of Ireland found that up to 20,000 adoption records could potentially relate to cases of illegal birth registration, including the use of false names or false dates of birth, the absence of valid consent to adoption and profiteering from adoptions. Professor O'Mahony's report was quite damning and recommended the establishment of a truth commission on adoption, claiming illegal birth registrations were not an isolated practice. He found that the State was aware of the practice of illegal birth registration for decades. St. Patrick's Guild admitted to the practice as far back as 1992. However, any action taken was ad hoc, piecemeal and significantly delayed.

Will the Minister initiate a thorough investigation in the form of a non-statutory State inquiry into illegal adoptions to determine the scale of illegal adoptions given that the actions taken to date have fallen far short in terms of remedying this egregious violation of people's human and identity rights?