Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for her reply. She said 12 months ago that she would bring the legislation before the Houses of the Oireachtas in 2012. Unfortunately, she has been unable today to give a definite timescale for when it will come before the House. She said she is working on it and that she hopes to bring the heads of the Bill before the Government some time this year. According to the legislative programme that has been published by the Whip's office, it will not be published in this session. We are looking at the autumn session at the very earliest.

I am sure the Minister will agree and acknowledge that to know one's own identity is a fundamental and basic human right. Susan Lohan of the Adoption Rights Alliance has said she feels the alliance is being stonewalled by the Minister and by the Adoption Authority of Ireland. The Minister has spoken about complexities. Maybe she will give us some insight into them. When her Cabinet colleague, the Minister, Deputy Shatter, was on the Opposition benches, he said:

I want to nail the suggestion that this is a hugely complex issue. It is an issue that has been properly and adequately addressed in a variety of other countries with the degree of insight and sensitivity necessary to ensure that birth mothers can make contact with adopted children where adopted children wish for such contact and to ensure that adopted children can trace their birth mothers and, indeed, their natural fathers where the information is available and where the natural parents wish for such contact. I urge the Minister to proceed hastily with bringing the necessary legislation before the House.

Regardless of what any of us might think about the Minister, Deputy Shatter, in his current role, no one can dispute that he is highly qualified and competent in the areas of constitutional law and family law. In light of what he said from the Opposition benches, I would like to know why this critical legislation, which is awaited by 50,000 children, is being delayed now that his party is in government.

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