Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)

I will ask my colleague, the Minister, Deputy Fitzgerald, to give urgent consideration to the meeting Deputy McCarthy suggests with the Irish people interested in adopting from Ethiopia. As I stated in the detailed reply, there is much work ongoing arising from the entering into force of the 2010 Adoption Act. Also, Ireland has finally, after long years of discussion, signed up to the Hague Convention. That is very helpful.

I have been in Ethiopia where there are, unfortunately, a number of children in orphanages. Deputy McCarthy mentioned the figure of 3,000. Where a child would otherwise spend his or her childhood in an orphanage, there is a strong case for facilitating a good quality home to adoptive parents who would love and look after that child.

I, myself, was adopted. Of course, Ireland has a long history of adoption. In the 1950s, we had children going to America to be adopted in the period after the Second World War. We are not without our own history, including those children coming back subsequently to Ireland to look for their birth roots. It is important in this instance that we look at the interests of everybody, foremost of which are those of the child, including, as I stated, the issue of a child being in an institution such as an orphanage for all of his or her childhood as opposed to finding a loving home. The fact that we have an embassy in Ethiopia is helpful. I will ask the Minister, Deputy Fitzgerald to send Deputy McCarthy a report on the briefing that she gets from the embassy.

The Minister has done much positive work since she took up office. As a matter of interest, I received a table from officials from her Department outlining the numbers of registrations of adoptions from Ethiopia as follows: in 2011, 41; in 2010, 75; in 2009, 21; and in 2008, 26. There is a history. I am sure the Department will furnish Deputy McCarthy with the details of the non-Hague Convention adoptions from abroad. The total of non-Hague Convention adoptions, according to this table, were: so far in 2011, 135; and in 2010, 168.

Clearly, now that we have signed up to Hague Convention, adoption is still continuing. It is merely that the framework must meet the requirements of that convention and the sending country also must establish and meet fairly stringent requirements on its side. That is in the best interest of the child.

I will raise what Deputy McCarthy has said with the Minister.

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