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

Before the summer break, the revelations that tens of thousands of people in Ireland had potentially been illegally adopted, and the fact that they were unaware that they were adopted, caused widespread public commentary. Illegal adoptions have been raised by many survivors' groups for years. The Minister outlined that a scoping exercise was being undertaken by her Department. Since that time many campaigners have come forward, saying they have been met with a brick wall when they try to access information. Many have called for a full audit of adoption records. Will the Minister commit to a wholesale investigation and audit of all adoption records and the seizure of any records currently not in her possession?

Also, recent media reports suggested that much of this documentation has been in the Department of Children and Youth Affairs for years. If this information has been in this Department for years, why has it taken so long to initiate an investigation?

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