Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Can I take it from the Minister's response, that the Irish Government and the Department of Children and Youth Affairs have done everything required of them from our end, and that the delay now is from the Russian end? Will the Department of Children and Youth Affairs also be in touch with the Russian authorities to try to speed up this process? I understand the need for it to be done legally and properly, because nobody wants problems in years to come. I understand, however, that there are 537 declarations of eligibility in existence and that only 11 post-Hague adoptions have been completed since 2010. In the meantime, we know what is happening to children in state care in Russia and about the families who are waiting to receive them into their homes in Ireland. It seems as if it is up to the Russian authorities, but can the Minister's Department do more to put pressure on them to come to a speedier resolution? As the Minister said, everything seems to be in place for these adoptions to happen.

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