Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)

I take the Deputy's point. I assure her it is intended that the Bill will provide for the Adoption Authority of Ireland to have access to records currently held by a wide range of information sources, give the authority an oversight role with regard to the maintenance of adoption records, and place the national contact preference register on a statutory basis. The Bill will also provide for proactive tracing and reunion services by appropriate bodies for adopted adults, birth mothers and birth families, with the Adoption Authority of Ireland having the overarching responsibility for the service.

The HSE is concerned about the issue of records and is taking what action it can in the meantime. We do not, at present, have a statutory situation for safeguarding the records in the way I have outlined to the Deputy. That is the intention of the legislation I will bring forward. We will have a much more organised and comprehensive approach to records. It has been too ad hoc. As the Deputy said, it clearly affects this group in particular. In effect, she is raising the number of illegal adoptions that took place.

See this speech in context