Barry Andrews (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

We have held wide-ranging discussions with the International Adoption Association on the grandfather clause and I have explained our reasons for not permitting it. The clause arises in this grouping of amendments for the simple reason that the arguments I made earlier apply in respect of it. We are introducing standard setting legislation and people have been crying out for us to sign up to the Hague Convention. It would be seen as a dilution of that convention's principles if we allowed an adoption simply because one has already adopted a child from the same country. In seeking to change the practice, we cast no aspersion on adoptions made from these countries in the past. The adoptions to which Senators referred were made in the utmost of good faith.

I am informed that no evidence exists to suggest that the adoption of siblings from the same country is of benefit to an already adopted child.