Frances Fitzgerald (Fine Gael)

The Minister of State's comments will reassure many parents who are involved in the adoption of Vietnamese children. He indicated his hope that there will be an agreement and he referred to the fact that the USA and Sweden have stopped all adoptions from Vietnam. Are the difficulties being experienced in respect of this matter relative to the Vietnamese side or to the Irish side? Do those difficulties relate to standards? What has given rise to the delays outlined by the Minister of State? In light of those delays, is he confident a bilateral agreement will eventually be concluded?

With regard to Russia and Ethiopia, if the bilateral agreements are not concluded before this legislation is passed, what will be the situation for the parents concerned? The Department will have to undertake quite a large information initiative for parents who are involved with these countries at this point. The Department might already be doing that, but there is a need for clarity for parents on this issue. I have conducted adoption assessments as a social worker over the years and I am aware it is an extremely traumatic and difficult time for people to get to the point of being accepted as adoptive parents, not to mind the difficulties of inter-country adoption. Now there is an entirely new legal framework which parents will have to negotiate. A huge information initiative is required to help people understand the implications of the Hague Convention and to give them reassurance in the case of bilateral agreements. Will the Minister spell out the implications of bilateral agreements not being in place by the time this legislation is passed? That is very important.

On the other point about flexibility, I agree that standards are incredibly important in this area. There has been exploitation internationally. Everybody wants to give a home to a child who is in need and who might be in horrific circumstances in the countries from which they are being adopted, but we know from international research that there have been appalling abuses in the adoption area, not least in Ireland in the past. Standards, therefore, are critical. The Hague Convention guarantees good standards. Adoption will not be allowed from any country that has not signed up to the Hague Convention. If, as Senator Healy Eames said, 78% of adoptions in Ireland at present are from non-Hague Convention countries——