Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael)

The Bill's transitional measures must allow sole applicants and couples to continue in the process. What will happen to couples who are four, five or six years into the process and do not receive referrals before the Bill's enactment? This is another question that has been highlighted by many prospective parents. I have been in contact with a considerable number of them in my constituency and county. Could they be allowed a better mechanism of engagement? They do not feel involved in the discourse. Rather, they feel as if they are out on a limb. They have good suggestions, since many of them have gone through the post-adoptive previously. They also have considerable experience that people in the Department of the Ministers of State, Deputies Haughey and Barry Andrews, could use to their benefit. This matter must be considered.

I have suggested that the other Hague convention signatories be considered, including the UK, the USA, Spain and France. The convention states that international adoption should be in the best interests of the child and does not prohibit member states from dealing with non-member states. When passing the legislation, we should take this idea on board and not restrict ourselves to negotiating with non-convention countries only.

Having raised this issue a number of times, we on this side of the House have been cognisant of the surrounding sensitivities and have not turned it into a political football. Approximately one month ago on my local radio station, I was told by a mother of a woman going through the adoption process that she did not want to have it turned into a political football. It has not been, but we need to show a resolve in terms of mapping a way forward for prospective parents. We also need to appreciate that someone going through an adoption process is equal to someone who is going through the biological process of bringing a child into the world. This is the key issue. I know of someone who went through the adoption process and had all of the preliminary work carried out but, at the 11th hour, the Russian child was taken from her grasp. She mourned the child in the same way as if she had had him or her herself. We must be sensitive and comprehensive in terms of how we allow the Adoption Bill to fit into the Hague agreement.

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