Barry Andrews (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

Amendment No. 97 refers to section 147, which states that in determining for the purposes of subsection (2) whether a person has contravened section 125, the court shall have regard to the matters set out in sections 4 and 5, and also to whether the person did any or all of the following, namely, prepared documentation to assist any prospective adopter habitually resident in the State, or provided assistance to any prospective adopter habitually resident in the State in relation to any legal matter. It determines some of the criteria that were raised as issues of concern. The purpose of the amendment is to clarify that only accredited bodies may make arrangement for the adoption of a child and to clarify that the court shall have regard to the carrying out of those activities which are being deleted in section 5 and brought into section 147.

See this speech in context