Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)

On 1 July 2011 the Adoption Authority of Ireland was notified by the Indian National Central Authority, known as CARA, that it would not be accepting dossiers from Irish applicants either until 30 September 2011 or until further notice. It has come to the attention of the Adoption Authority of Ireland that CARA proposes to introduce a new computerised e-access system of online dossier registration. To date, CARA has not invited the AAI to participate in such a scheme. The AAI now proposes to visit CARA in India in mid to late June of this year. Should CARA invite Ireland, in the form of the AAI, to participate in a new inter-country adoption scheme between the two countries, the invitation will be given careful consideration by the board of the AAI, taking into account the advice of the Irish Embassy to India and the Hague Conference Permanent Bureau in the Hague. In the meantime, a number of potential adoptive parents have received referrals of children from India under the old system. There was some difficulty in obtaining the necessary assurances from CARA with regard to these referrals, which caused a delay in the AAI's agreement to the placement of these children. Fortunately, the AAI has now received a response from CARA which has allowed the processing of these referrals to continue to the next stage. The Adoption Authority keeps people up to date with changes through its website. Currently, the plan is that the AAI will visit India in June to further develop its relationships with CARA.

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