Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I want to return to the Adoption (Information and Tracing) Bill 2016. It deals specifically with the issue that has been revealed. It is important we would get an explanation and a statement at some stage as to why that Bill has been delayed. I understand there are policy issues that still have not been resolved, notwithstanding the fact the Bill has been published since 2016. Essentially, the key issue is balancing the constitutional right to privacy with the right to one's own identity. It is time the Legislature bit the bullet on that. This Bill has been going around for about five or six years, there having been various drafts of it internally and so on. As I outlined earlier, the policy issues were well articulated by Senators in the Seanad quite some time ago. One would have thought if the Bill was published that the policy issues were resolved. They should not be delaying the passage of the Bill. It was unfair of the Taoiseach to suggest that someone here was going to delay it. This legislation has been widely welcomed-----

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