Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)

I welcome the opportunity to raise the important issue of intercountry adoptions. I commend the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs on the excellent job she has done since taking over her portfolio. She has rightly placed the welfare of our children at the heart of Government. With intercountry adoptions, she inherited the previous Government's decision in January 2010 to suspend indefinitely our bilateral adoption agreement with Vietnam, which left hundreds of families in limbo. Little if any effort was expended on rectifying this situation before she assumed office. I know from working with a number of families in County Clare and elsewhere that they are appreciative of her efforts and the speed with which she has acted.

As Chairman of the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade I take a great interest in intercountry adoptions. I am in regular contact with a number of families and I believe that the renewed diplomatic efforts undertaken by this Government have influenced the decision by the Vietnamese Government to ratify the Hague Convention, which will come into effect on 1 February.

In September I visited Vietnam in my role as Chairman of the committee and I met Vietnam's Justice Minister at the request of the Minister, Deputy Fitzgerald. The Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy O'Sullivan, has since met the Vietnamese Minister and the Minister, Deputy Fitzgerald, has just returned from a visit to Vietnam. I found the Justice Minister and the Vietnamese Government very supportive and anxious to renew our bilateral arrangements. I was not surprised when they lodged their documentation for ratification with the Hague Convention on 1 November.

I am aware that a number of technical issues remain to be addressed but significant progress has been made. I ask the Minister to update me on her visit to Vietnam and what she now expects in terms of a final agreement. A number of families are anxious to know when they might expect to be able to recommence their adoption proceedings.

Following my visit to Vietnam a number of families contacted me regarding the possibility of negotiating a bilateral intercountry adoption agreement with Ethiopia. When I raised the matter with the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Meles Zenawi, in Addis Ababa he assured me that he would bring my concerns to the attention of his relevant Cabinet colleges. I understand the Minister has given authorisation to the chairman of the Adoption Authority, Geoffrey Shannon, to open discussions with officials in Ethiopia with a view to entering into a bilateral arrangement. I welcome this initiative and I would be grateful if she could update me on those discussions.

We read in Sunday's newspapers the disturbing news about illegal adoptions in Mexico. I realise the Minister may be constrained from speaking in detail on this matter due to possible proceedings. I understand three Mexican women have been arrested and seven babies have been taken into state care. It has been suggested that a number of Irish couples may be involved. Reports suggest that children were bought from cash strapped mothers and then handed over to foreign couples who were looking to adopt. It is an appalling situation. The Adoption Authority has warned parents against entering into private arrangements with agencies or individuals in Mexico and it has been working to formalise procedures between our countries. It is very important that we put in place formal bilateral arrangements which guarantee protection for the adopted child, who must come first. I ask the Minister to comment on this issue, if she is able to do so, and to indicate the progress made on formal arrangements between Mexico and Ireland.

See this speech in context