Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is my intention that the legislation will be brought forward this year. I do not have any doubt about this, but I am alerting the Deputy to the constitutional difficulties inherent in producing the legislation. Obviously, I will bring forward the strongest possible legislation, but there are clear constitutional constraints. Having access to medical records is critical, but whether this can be provided for, within the confines of the Constitution, remains to be seen. It is extremely difficult, given the constitutional position on the family, to have the open access to information the Deputy desires and to which adoptive persons ought to have access. It is a complex issue, but work is being done on the legislation which I will bring to the House. Last week I met a number of people who, unfortunately, had been the victims of illegal registrations. That is another serious issue we must address.

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