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

We can all agree that the interests of the children must be paramount; that goes without saying. It remains the case that thousands of children remain in Russia in questionable care who could greatly benefit from a second chance in life. There are certainly hundreds of parents in Ireland who are willing to give a child a second chance in life with a loving home. Everything must be done to make this a reality. There is a concern that this is not a priority of the Minister or his Department.

The Russian Irish Adoption Group has held extensive consultations with the Irish Embassy in Russia and the Russian Embassy here but every time, there seems to be a different excuse. A previous excuse was a concern relating to the equality referendum, despite the fact that marriage equality is in place in France and there is a bilateral agreement between France and Russia. We have been told today that post-adoption reporting is being requested. When was that request made? When was the last time the Minister engaged with his Russian counterpart? The Minister stated that he will continue consultation with the Russian Irish Adoption Group but will he give a commitment on that today? A representative of the group was recently on the "This Week" programme on RTE indicating that the Minister had failed to meet the group. Will the Minister give a commitment to the House that he will meet the group and the Adoption Authority of Ireland to iron out what outstanding issues need to be resolved in order to progress this? Will the Minister confirm this is a priority?

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