Averil Power (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Tá. I appreciate the Minister of State is replying on behalf of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs. I am very disappointed that there is no commitment to passing the Bill before the election. Thousands of people are waiting on this legislation which is very important for many people who are separated through adoption. I appreciate the Minister of State's brief is on equality issues. What equality does one have when one does not even know who one is? For 30 years of my life I did not know my original name. I did not know where I came from. I did not know anything about my parents. I did not know my medical history. I did not know any of that. Thankfully, eventually, I found my mother and I have that information. There are tens of thousands of people throughout the country who do not. There are elderly women across Ireland who were forced to separate from their children decades ago and do not know if they are okay. The Minister has probably seen the movie "Philomena" about her story. I get letters all the time from other women who had the same experience and who have spent decades looking for their lost son or daughter and cannot find them due to resistance on the part of the State.

The reply stated that this is a complicated issue. I do not agree. This system is in place in the UK , Northern Ireland, Wales and elsewhere for decades. We have seen much complex legislation being rushed through the House in recent weeks so I think where there is a will there is a way. We have seen the Legal Services Regulation Bill and the extraordinary process of how it came through this House, with the number of amendments the Government tabled to its own Bill, and to ensure it could pass that legislation before the recess and before the House finishes for the election. I urge the Minister of State to speak to the Minister, Deputy Reilly, about this Bill and remind him again of the Seanad Bill which has passed halfway through the House and is closer to the recommendations of the Joint Committee on Health and Children than is the Government Bill. Many of the issues of which the committee was critical were not in the Bill that Senator Jillian van Turnout and I tabled. I ask the Minister of State to look at this again. I genuinely believe that if the interest is there it can be done. I understand it will require resources on behalf of the draftsman but this is the first time we have ever got a Government this far, almost to legislating for adoption rights. I urge the Minister of State to ensure it goes the full distance. Let us work together to ensure this is done.