Denise Mitchell (Dublin Bay North, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I wish to share time with Deputies Kenny and Ó Caoláin. I thank the Minister for her statement and for all the work she has done to date on this issue. As I said during Question Time yesterday, we were not surprised by the scandal of the illegal adoptions by St. Patrick's Guild because survivors and many journalists have been telling us the stories for years. Anybody who has met women incarcerated in mother and baby homes has heard these stories far too frequently. Now we finally have the evidence regarding what was going on. We need to start by not using the term "incorrect registrations". That term makes it sound like it was an accident or a mistake. Clearly, it was no accident. Using that language is insulting to the mothers whose children were taken off them and to those illegally adopted. This was a blatant attempt by adoption agencies to cover up what I believe was child trafficking.

This week we have read that there are concerns regarding a further 700 cases at St. Patrick's Guild. These concerns relate to the changing of names on records, cash transactions and other practices.

Many of those affected are also unlikely to be citizens of this State. Many may have been illegally adopted by families in Britain or the United States and are probably unaware of their links to Ireland. I hope we will see an investigation with a greater scope.

This brings me to the sampling exercise announced by the Minister, which I welcome, albeit with major concerns. A sampling exercise will not cut it. It may be an acceptable approach in the short term but we must recognise that we are investigating the illegal adoption of children. It needs to be a thorough investigation. That is the only way to ensure that those who were illegally adopted but are unaware of it can get the full truth and support from this State. We cannot leave people behind. Many of the records of the illegal adoption of these children are still being held by religious organisations. Yesterday, the Minister stated that there are over 100,000 records in the possession of the State, with an estimated 50,000 still in the possession of these societies. These societies know that a sampling exercise is under way and I am concerned about the potential to tamper with records. I urge the Minister to act to ensure that every single item of documentation is handed to Tusla immediately. The Government must ensure that all necessary resources are provided for a thorough investigation into this scandal. We are at a point where we could be losing something in this debate. St. Patrick's Guild and other involved agencies were regulated by the State so the State allowed this to happen. It is now up to the State to do everything in its power to right these wrongs.

I will briefly touch on the Adoption (Information and tracing) Bill 2016. The Minister has spoken with many of us in the House and we know she is enthusiastic about getting the Bill through. This must be done right despite all the emotion. We have heard groups talking about concerns and we must ensure everybody's concerns are addressed in this Bill. We will support the Minister in whatever way we can to get this Bill through the House and finally ensure that adoptees have the information they need.

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