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

The Deputy's first question was whether there would be a line drawn in the sand in regard to the type of approach to be taken. The answer is "Yes." In the legislation I intend to introduce a change as regards how we deal with this issue of current and prospective adoptions. The legislation will change the approach.

Second, the Child and Family Agency has started on its work, but it is an enormous task. The first job will be to scope out precisely the scale of that task, the resources necessary and the timescale for dealing with it effectively. This is an urgent issue, particularly for those trying to obtain information. There are tens of thousands of files in varying states and we will have to examine carefully how to manage them most effectively, deal with the information and ensure it is accessible. That will be the first task.

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