Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I am not in a position to speak to the amendments that were ruled out of order. While I cannot accept amendments Nos. 38 and 40, I hope I can provide the Senators with some reassurance in terms of the work we are doing to ensure that the public information campaign is designed in as user-friendly a manner as possible. The Adoption Authority of Ireland has already engaged with the National Adult Literacy Agency, NALA, on making sure the material produced as part of the campaign is accessible and easily understood and, in addition, that the materials produced are shared with the stakeholder reference group for feedback, as I have mentioned on a number of occasions, including regarding the language, terminology and message used.

Complementarily to our engagement with the stakeholder reference group, my officials have engaged with colleagues in the Department of Foreign Affairs to ensure similar input is sought from stakeholders residing outside the State, recognising that many of the people who are the targets of this campaign and who, we hope, will seek to use it are living outside Ireland. I will speak more about that when I bring forward the next amendment.

Once this legislation is passed, we hope to have the public information campaign begin in July. The material will be available online and in hard copy and will be shared across a broad range of media and communication channels in response to the broad age demographic of persons affected by the provisions. The campaign will run from July to October, with the possibility of extending it if necessary. It will include a door drop to every household in the State of an information booklet outlining the key provisions of the legislation and letting people know their rights under it, recognising the very wide range of people across the State who are impacted by the issues surrounding adoption, mother and baby homes, county homes and other institutions, and acknowledging the secretive nature of these matters for a long period. The information campaign will also utilise television, radio and print media channels. As I mentioned, the Department of Foreign Affairs will assist with disseminating the information campaign internationally, including identifying media channels, utilising embassy networks and engaging with Irish abroad groups, as appropriate.

Regarding the amendments, I confirm that the relevant bodies are working with NALA to ensure plain English and accessible format are secured for the information campaign.