Results 961-980 of 20,459 for speaker:Frances Fitzgerald

Seanad: Adoption Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (1 Apr 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: Notwithstanding the sensitivities and regardless of whether it was Vietnam or another country, if it was not possible to reach an agreement, what would be the legal position? What would the next step be? I do not refer particularly to Vietnam. Given that this legislation is to give effect to the Hague Convention and that we will also have bilateral agreements, if a bilateral agreement was...

Seanad: Adoption Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (1 Apr 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: I thank the Minister of State for clarifying that matter. That is what I thought and obviously that would be a very serious situation. I accept what the Minister of State says that every effort is being made to conclude the agreement with Vietnam, which will be reassuring to prospective adoptive parents who are obviously waiting to hear and want it concluded as quickly as possible. I hope...

Seanad: Adoption Bill 2009: Committee Stage (resumed) (1 Apr 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: May I speak to the amendment at this point?

Seanad: Adoption Bill 2009: Committee Stage (resumed) (1 Apr 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: Section 82 states, ". . . not later than 3 months after the date of entry". Is that an international norm? I presume this relates to a child adopted from a country with which we have a bilateral agreement or which is a signatory to the Hague Convention. While 3 months may be a fairly arbitrary period, perhaps the Minister of State will indicate the reason in this regard. In other words,...

Seanad: Adoption Bill 2009: Committee Stage (resumed) (1 Apr 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: I support this amendment. On Second Stage I spoke about the need for the legislation to deal with the principles of tracing and the move towards open adoption, of which tracing is obviously one part. Over the years there have been inconsistencies in practice between agencies, as the Minister of State will be well aware. I welcome the best practice model and I hope that will be widely...

Seanad: Adoption Bill 2009: Committee Stage (resumed) (1 Apr 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: I also support this amendment. People have waited a long time for this legislation. It must be seen to be state-of-the-art legislation, which is what the Minister of State hopes and wants. It seems that post-adoption services are integral to the process. The kind of services suggested in this amendment would be really necessary and integral for persons who are in this position, who have...

Seanad: Adoption Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (2 Apr 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: If my amendments have been deemed out of order as involving a charge on the Revenue is it the intention to pay members of the authority? The principle is a good one, that people who have been adopted should be represented on the board. It is in line with our thinking about consumers, that the people most affected by a board or authority would have some representation. I ask the Minister of...

Seanad: Adoption Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (2 Apr 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: There is no possibility for representation of a person who has been adopted in either a domestic or international adoption. It would be a good and useful thing to bring the voice of the consumer, the experience of someone who has been adopted, to the board. There are many agencies, organisations and networks in which people who have been adopted participate actively and they want their...

Seanad: Adoption Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (2 Apr 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: The voice of the lay person, the one who has direct experience of the service, is a valuable asset. This has been developing in the legal and medical areas for example, in the new medical practitioners Bill. One cannot underestimate what the direct voice of experience would bring to a board or authority. When the Government moves to establish bodies we should try to incorporate this as a...

Seanad: Adoption Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (2 Apr 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: Yes.

Seanad: Adoption Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (2 Apr 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: I shall not labour the point but I speak of a different quality of experience that is apart from the quasi-judicial nature of the board. This is not an adequate reason not to include the voice of the person who has been through the direct experience, which might be in turn a representative voice for the other groups the Minister of State mentioned. The amendment has been ruled out of order...

Seanad: Adoption Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (2 Apr 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: I move amendment No. 61: In page 90, paragraph (b), line 34 to 37, to delete all words from and including "child," in line 34 down to and including "child." in line 37 and substitute "child.". This amendment relates to advertising. Some international associations, for example, the International Adoption Association, IAA, are concerned that this section would create some unenforceable...

Seanad: Adoption Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (2 Apr 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: I will withdraw amendment No. 61 at this stage.

Seanad: Adoption Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (2 Apr 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: I move amendment No. 62: In page 91, subsection (4)(b), lines 23 and 24, to delete "with the prior approval of the Authority". There is some concern about this and it is a very delicate area. I am interested to hear what the Minister of State will say about it. Some of the international organisations felt that their fund-raising would be interfered with if this section contained the words:...

Seanad: Adoption Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (2 Apr 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: Perhaps the Minister of State could offer some clarification. I am in complete agreement with the Minister of State about the international obligations we would rightly have in this regard. It would clearly be a safeguarding of children to have inappropriate financial donations forbidden by our legislation. Is permission required for each and every donation or can they get on with...

Seanad: Adoption Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (2 Apr 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: We have come to end of Committee Stage of the Bill. The Minister of State has indicated that he will consider the suggestions and amendments for Report Stage. The issues of the bilateral agreement, especially with Vietnam, and its current state and reassuring the many parents who were concerned about it, is critical. From what the Minister of State has said, I know that he and his...

Seanad: Order of Business (7 Apr 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: This morning on "Morning Ireland", Orla Tinsley, who has fought so hard for services for cystic fibrosis, was asked if she believed and trusted the latest proposal from Government to provide a cystic fibrosis unit. She said "We have had promises made before, I am not sure that I can — but I hope that I can." She and cystic fibrosis sufferers have had many promises made to them that have...

Seanad: Bowel Cancer Awareness: Statements (7 Apr 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: Given the amount of money we have had here in the past ten years and the amount of money that has been put into the health service, it is very disappointing that a colorectal screening programme was not developed during the period of the Celtic tiger to address this disease that kills 900 people in this country every year and that affects so many others. I hoped the Minister would announce...

Seanad: Bowel Cancer Awareness: Statements (7 Apr 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: It would be helpful if the Minister of State could arrange for a copy of his speech to be sent to the spokespeople. The point the majority of speakers made is that there is not a national colorectal screening programme in Ireland. An expert report has been published which recommends that there should be screening but as yet we do not have a timeframe, nor do we have a funding decision to...

Seanad: Bowel Cancer Awareness: Statements (7 Apr 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: Is there further information on the national cancer screening programme? Funding for that programme was to kick-start the whole process.