Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)
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Question 52: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the efforts he is making to finalise an agreement on inter-country adoption with the Socialist Republic of Vietnam; if he plans on visiting that country to help secure the agreement; the level of support he is providing to the Department of Health and Children; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21851/09]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy is aware, the Office of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs is working to create the appropriate legislative, policy and administrative frameworks that will ensure a well regulated regime of adoption, the aim of which is to support and protect prospective parents and, more importantly, the children for whom adoption services are devised and provided.

In addition, the Government is working towards securing a strengthened bilateral agreement with Vietnam. In light of concerns raised by other countries and which emerged during 2008, the Government decided it was necessary to seek a strengthening of the existing arrangements with Vietnam. With the publication of the Adoption Bill 2009, it was also considered necessary to ensure that both the content of a new agreement and its implementation would meet the minimum standards set out in that Bill and in the Hague Convention on the Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Inter-country Adoption. There has been ongoing close co-operation between my Department, the Office of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs and the Attorney General's Office on the issue.

The Embassy in Hanoi has also played a major role in facilitating on-going dialogue with the Vietnamese authorities, and has been in regular contact with a number of Government Departments in Hanoi, again with a focus on achieving the requisite strengthening of procedures for the protection of children in any new bilateral arrangement.

The Minister for Children and Youth Affairs has stated on several occasions his wish to speedily conclude discussions on the text of the bilateral agreement, a draft of which is already under consideration. However, that is not to say that any guarantee can be provided in relation to the outcome of that process.

I and my Cabinet colleagues do not wish to speculate on the timeframe for or the outcome of these negotiations. There has been a high level of engagement on both sides and it is clear from progress so far that there is a willingness on both sides to bring the negotiations to a successful conclusion.

The need for any ministerial visit to Vietnam will be determined by the developments in the coming days and weeks. Our Embassy in Hanoi is keeping in close contact with the Vietnamese authorities. In this regard, the Deputy will be aware that the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs is already committed to travelling to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam at any time to facilitate the successful conclusion of these discussions, as and when appropriate.