Derek McDowell (Labour)

People in this type of situation do not consider it funny. Those who opt for foreign adoption are frequently people who have tried to adopt Irish children or to have children naturally. The notion that people would choose to say they are going to a particular country to find out about foreign adoptions as an excuse to go on a holiday is offensive. While I know Senator Walsh did not intend his remarks to be taken that way, they could be interpreted that way by some people.

I sense the Minister is minded to refuse this amendment. However, perhaps he might provide us with the statistics in terms of the number of foreign adoptions vis-À-vis Irish adoptions.