Frances Fitzgerald (Fine Gael)

That would be disturbing and we would not want that situation. The Minister of State also said the board is considering a similar register for inter-country adoptions because their numbers are on the increase and that will be necessary. It is important that the amendment is considered and accepted by him because the section is vague and we do not want to repeat the same mistakes with inter-country adoptions. As he pointed out, adoptees have been unable to access information and files are lying all over the place. Even if the child's birth certificate or other information relating to him or her is kept in another country, greater effort should be made to gather the information, preserve it for the child and make sure it is available so that the child or the family can check the physical or medical histories. It is important that information is kept and is traceable.

Traceability is the key issue. If the information is left on file, it could be extremely difficult to track it down later. Of a total of 6,270 people who have approached the Adoption Board, only 500 made matches. We must look forward as traceability and availability of information relating to family histories and so on will be issues in inter-country adoptions. The provisions in my amendments should be made statutory. Will the Minister of State consult further with the board and ensure these provisions are inserted in this legislation? The research results furnished by the board to the Minister of State, which are helpful, highlight that we need a strong element of support for tracing.

With regard to "promotion", it is important that adoptees are made aware. People can feel very isolated when they try to trace their family and they need to know there is a place where they can go to obtain the supports and information they need and that they will be dealt with in confidence. Both issues need to be considered further by the Minister of State before the Bill is debated in the Dáil. It is important to have an entry in the register of foreign adoptions with all identifying information but, as the Minister of State indicated, the register may be open to the public for international adoptions. That needs to be examined but he has agreed to report back to the House in this regard.