Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)

Regarding the role and remit of the Minister's Department, I have to express disappointment that a number of questions I tabled for address today have either been transferred or disallowed. I am particularly concerned that in reply to a question I posed about inter-country adoption, specifically in regard to Vietnam, the Minister stated she has "no responsibility to Dáil Éireann in this matter". The reply does not even suggest the question has been transferred to the Adoption Authority of Ireland. I participated in many Question Times with the Minister's predecessor, the former Minister of State with responsibility for children, Deputy Barry Andrews, addressing inter-country adoption issues, including with specified countries such as Vietnam, and they were always dealt with by him. I point this out because this reply signifies a deterioration rather than an advance in terms of the new Department's establishment. Will the Minister clarify the position?

Another disallowed question related to the national vetting bureau. While I acknowledge the facilitating Bill has been moved to the Department of Justice and Equality, nevertheless given its focus on one of the important areas in the context of child protection, surely the Minister would be willing and able to respond on that legislation. I had other questions disallowed but these two replies have vexed me most. I am interested to know what the Minister can do about this for the future.

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