Barry Andrews (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

My office has been in negotiations with the Vietnamese Government regarding the drafting of a new bilateral inter-country adoption agreement for some time. I have indicated my intention to await the finalisation of the International Social Services, ISS, report on inter-country adoption in Vietnam before making final decisions regarding the next steps. I will be considering the report along with the report published in August by the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. The ISS report should be finalised this month and I will be communicating my decision at the earliest opportunity. I am mindful of the difficult position many prospective adopters find themselves in at this point.

The Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister, Mr. HoÀng Trung H?i, recently led a trade mission to Ireland. I took this opportunity to meet again with him on 23 October - I had already met him during my July visit to Vietnam - and adoption matters were discussed. The meeting was most amicable and allowed both Governments to outline their current positions on the bilateral agreement and legislative developments in each jurisdiction, including Hague Convention ratification. Both Governments restated their desire to achieve the highest standards in inter-country adoption and they committed to ongoing dialogue to advance these goals.

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