Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome this series of amendments. I referred to them previously, as the Minister said. They provide for important new mechanisms for a person who has reasonable grounds for suspecting they are the subject of an incorrect birth registration to initiate the conduct of inquiries by the agency or authority. They also empower the Minister to conduct a review. I acknowledge the work of the special rapporteur, Dr. Conor O'Mahony, and those very brave individuals who themselves were the subject of illegal adoptions and who went public with their experiences in such a powerful way to expose this awful practice that had gone on for far too long.

I acknowledge the Minister's move on this and indeed his change in light of the amendment I put in to reflect the point on "false or misleading" in respect of birth registration. I welcome that this change was made on Committee Stage, as we said earlier. These amendments really will provide additional supports and comfort to those who have been the subject of illegal birth registrations, which is very welcome.

I am disappointed, however, that we have not seen any similar movement on the mandatory information session. I know we have debated the matter and I also called a vote on it. Deputies Funchion, Cairns and I have acknowledged the movement and improvement that has been made to the legislation through the course of the legislative process. I am conscious that the Bill still has to go to the Seanad. I wonder if it would be possible for the mandatory information session to be reviewed again by the Minister, his colleagues and the Attorney General in light of the strong views expressed not just by me as the proposer of amendment No. 59 on the replacement of the mandatory information session but indeed by other colleagues too. I wonder if it could just be looked again to see if there is any other appropriate mechanism that could be inserted. We have seen a very sweeping, welcome change made, particularly in amendment No. 70, which I agree is really significant, empowering the Minister to authorise the agency and authority to conduct a review in this scenario to establish whether a person has been the subject of an illegal birth registration. This is a big change to the law and a very welcome one. Is it possible to see a way to making a similar change to the mandatory information session in section 17 between now and the conclusion of the Bill through the legislative process in the Seanad?

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