Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour) | Oireachtas source

During the campaign to repeal the eighth amendment we heard hundreds of stories from women throughout the country, stories that in many cases that had never been told before. They shone a light on the lives of women in Ireland and the reality of people's lives. It was an unveiling of the wrongs done to women, as our colleague, Deputy Clare Daly, so eloquently put it yesterday in the Chamber. There was an attitude that prevailed for so long that others knew better. Thankfully, that attitude has slowly been demolished. Yesterday saw the latest revelations of another failure by the State and those who controlled our society. The Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputy Katherine Zappone, announced details of illegal adoptions where the birth details of children had been misclassified. The word "misclassified" is not appropriate as it sounds very innocuous. It is not what it is - an illegal adoption. It is high time we dealt with issues that have for too long been kept in the dark.

An initial examination by Tusla of the records of St. Patrick's Guild has identified 126 so-called incorrect registrations, more correctly called illegal adoptions. At least 79 people may be entirely unaware of the true circumstances surrounding their births. Who they are has been kept from them. Our identity is central to who we are and how we see ourselves in the world and how we are remembered. In the coming days people will be contacted and given news that will, in many cases, be shattering for those who believed they knew who they were. As the Taoiseach said, supports must be put in place for them. Tusla must be adequately resourced. The Taoiseach has said it must be done with the utmost sensitivity, but it is essential that Tusla be resourced to do it. I want the Taoiseach's assurance in that regard.

We need to identify, where possible, how many illegal adoptions happened and to respect the rights of those directly impacted on, those who had their births misclassified, and restore their information and identity to them. My colleague, Deputy Joan Burton, has been calling for a full audit of the records of adoption societies. We fully support her in that call. The Minister has said a sample of records will be taken, as the Taoiseach has just indicated, from each adoption society. We are talking about what may be needles in haystacks in adopting that approach. Only a very small number of the 150,000 records may be affected. It needs to be headed by an international expert and provided with the resources necessary to get to the bottom of the matter. The right to information must be provided for. Many adopted persons are still unable to access their own files.

I want to reiterate some of the questions that have not been answered fully. With reference to Deputy Micheal Martin's question about progressing the Adoption (Information and Tracing) Bill, will the Taoiseach give us an assurance that it will move much more quickly? It was published in 2016. Will he commit to a full audit of all adoption records? Will he ensure wraparound supports will be put in place for those who will receive this earth-shattering news about who they are and fully resource Tusla to provide them?

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