Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Tuesday, 8 March 2022
Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs
Birth Information and Tracing Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed)
Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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These are important amendments. Amendments numbers 93 to 101, inclusive, expand the definition of secondary information source to include the very wide range of actors that we know were involved in the adoption process. The current list does not make explicit reference to any persons or organisations involved in facilitating adoptions, the care of adopted people and family separation. Given the realities of the adoption process, it is important for these amendments to be made to make specific reference to these persons as potential sources of information.
Amendments Nos. 96 to 101, inclusive, introduce reference to any Roman Catholic Church or Church of Ireland bodies or organisations as secondary information sources. Obviously, given the scale of involvement of those bodies in the adoption process, it is crucial that they are explicitly referenced as secondary information sources.