Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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Question 115: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if, in relation to the Adoption Bill 2009, she will ensure that the legislation introduced will promote the development of adoption counselling and post adoption services here and will allow for a tracing service for persons who wish to avail of it; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6792/09]

Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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Question 116: To ask the Minister for Health and Children her views on an assertion (details supplied) in regard to the Adoption Bill 2009; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6793/09]

Barry Andrews (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 115 and 116 together.

There is no specific provision in the Adoption Bill, 2009, to provide for post adoption services for those children who have additional needs. Adopted children who have additional needs have, and will continue to have, the same eligibility and entitlements to health, personal social services and special educational needs as any child in Ireland.

The Bill does make statutory provision for the notification by adoptive parents of the adoption on return to Ireland with a child. This notification must be made both to the Adoption Authority for the purposes of registering the child as well as to the HSE, to ensure that the child receives all of the normal child health surveillance services available through the public health system.

As regards information and tracing for adopted persons, again the Bill does not cover this area as there is already an effective administrative system for dealing with the issue of information and tracing. The National Contact Preference Register provides an invaluable service, both to those adopted people who wish to learn about their family of origin and to natural families who have been separated from relatives. Persons who have joined the Register can confidentially state their preferences on both the extent and type of contact they wish to have with the other party. The Register has saved much time and effort on the often difficult task of ascertaining the current location circumstances, and contact details, of adoptive persons and their natural relatives.