Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)

I understand I have only two minutes to speak so I will not repeat what has been said. The Minister of State has heard my views on these issues so I will seek clarification on the Vietnamese situation rather than repeat the questions put by Deputy Shatter. What sort of timeframe does the Minister of State expect during which the Attorney General will consider the mechanism? Are the Vietnamese authorities aware of the proposals coming from our side? Is there likely to be a fairly quick decision in respect of this matter?

I refer to the question of declarations covered by the transitional arrangements which may possibly fall when they are due for renewal. I am unsure whether the Minister of State can clarify this on the floor of the House but, if not, perhaps he could clarify it at a later stage. The group specifically stated:

The Adoption Board also informed the IMSG, the Irish-Mexican Group, that adoption declarations currently covered by the transitional arrangements may fall under the new Adoption Bill when they are due for renewal. This is contrary to the belief held by the wider adoption community that current declarations will be covered by the transitional arrangements even after they have been renewed.

The Minister of State may be unable to clarify the matter now but I would welcome if he could clarify it at some stage. Since we will vote on Deputy Shatter's amendment first, I maintain it is very reasonable and I urge the Minister of State to accept it and to accept the points we are making under this amendment grouping.

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