Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

A request has been made to the Vietnamese Government to enter into an interim international adoption agreement and we are awaiting a reply. That request is now a matter for the Vietnamese Government and as such it would be improper for the Irish Government to seek to influence or to interfere with that decision-making process. However, the Minister of State with responsibility for children and youth affairs and the Minister for Foreign Affairs are working through diplomatic channels to progress the matter and to bring greater clarity to the situation.

The Government is most aware of the concern and anxiety which this process is causing to prospective adoptive parents but it is firmly committed to ensuring that arrangements between Ireland and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam protect the best interests of children, their families and prospective adoptive parents.

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