Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)

Senator Mullen spoke about the issue of adoption. I do not like to bring personal circumstances into a debate, but as an adoptive parent who has been through the adoption process, I know that the best interests of the child, rather than the interests of the adoptive parents, are primary in the decision to sanction an adoption. It is entirely a matter within the law laid down by the Oireachtas for the Adoption Board to authorise an adoption in circumstances as they are presented to it. I fully accept that there have been circumstances in which same-sex couples have adopted children. To the best of my knowledge, such circumstances were not envisaged when the legislation was initiated. The exceptional circumstances to which it refers relate mainly to the circumstances cited by the Senator.

I return to the central point, namely, that whether through the Hague Convention or our Adoption Acts, the best interests of the child are regarded as paramount, which is as it should be. Ultimately, the decision should be left to the Adoption Board, which has served the country well in that respect. The Senator may be correct that the Oireachtas should discuss this issue in due course. It might not necessarily form part of the deliberations of the Law Reform Commission on the Legal Aspects of Family Relationships report.