Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)
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Question 134: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the measures she suggests in order to update and improve the process of adoption here. [23777/09]

Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)
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Question 135: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the measures she proposes, notwithstanding the importance of properly vetting all potential adoptive parents, her plans to speed this process up; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23778/09]

Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)
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Question 136: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if she will suggest improvements to the system of adoption here in which, as is currently the case, persons seeking to make a complaint against the adoption process in which they are involved have to do so with those who have the final say over the eventual success or failure of the person's application for adoption having full knowledge of the complaint leading to a situation whereby the person who has a complaint remaining silent; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23779/09]

Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)
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Question 137: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if she will confirm reports that persons charged with assessing couples or individuals who have applied to adopt children on average make 12 such assessments annually despite recommendations that 20 such assessments be conducted per social worker; if there is scope to improve same; her views on whether such a move would shorten the average time it takes for an adoption to be finalised; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23780/09]

Barry Andrews (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 134 to 137, inclusive, together.

Requests for assessment for inter-country adoption are continuously increasing. The 'Study on Inter-country Adoption Outcomes in Ireland', undertaken by the Children's Research Centre, Trinity College, between December, 2004, and April, 2007, and commissioned by the Adoption Board, revealed that Ireland has one of the highest rates for inter-country adoption in Europe. It is against this background that the Office of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs is continuing to work to create the appropriate legislative, policy and administrative frameworks that will ensure a well regulated regime of adoption. Its aim is to support the children for whom adoption services are devised and provided and to protect prospective parents. A family that wishes to adopt should be recognised beforehand as being able to promote, safeguard and support the development and well-being of a child in need of adoption in a lasting manner.

The Deputy refers specifically to the numbers of assessments that might be conducted annually by individual social workers. The figures he refers to were estimated in 1999 having regard to practices at that time. It must be acknowledged that the increasing numbers of children adopted from abroad create additional pressures on intercountry adoption teams within the Health Service Executive. This is because these same teams provide post-adoption reports to sending countries, at the request of those countries, and with the agreement of the adoptive parents. This is an important component in the willingness of countries to consider Irish applicants for adoption. It is estimated that, on average, over 25% of social workers time is now taken up with the preparation of such reports.

The development of standards for the assessment of applicants for inter-country adoption has been advanced through the conjoint working of the Adoption Board, the Office of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs and the Health Service Executive. This work was based on a report commissioned by the Department of Health and Children and submitted to Government in June, 1999, entitled "Towards a Standardised Framework for Inter-country Adoption Assessment Procedures". The standardised framework which emerged from that process in 2000 was founded on evidence-based practice and developed with the assistance of international agencies in the field. The implementation of this framework is continually under review by all parties as intercountry adoption practice and experience continues to evolve and with particular regard to the new statutory framework likely to emerge from the recently published Adoption Bill, 2009.

The Deputy suggests that there is an inadequate opportunity for persons who have complaints about the adoption assessment process to have their complaint considered fairly. I must reiterate that any person has the opportunity make complaints at a number of levels including, firstly at local level with the assessing social worker and manager as well as through the HSE standardised complaints procedure. As regards, the application itself, the decisions made by social workers are reviewed by a supervising social worker and thereafter by a local adoption committee. Following that all cases fall to be considered by the Adoption Board. In cases where an application is not recommended by the local adoption committee, the applicant(s) will always be offered a hearing by the Board when it considers their application.

The Adoption Board is an independent statutory authority with quasi-judicial functions relating to the making of adoption orders and the issuing of declarations of eligibility and suitability in respect of applications to adopt from abroad. I am satisfied that there is an opportunity for any person to have their case heard in a fair and impartial manner by the Board under the law. I would advise the Deputy to encourage any person who has concerns about the process to make those concerns known through one of the channels I have referred to above.

I acknowledge that persons applying for inter-country adoption are experiencing delays as regards waiting times for assessment and that there are also concerns regarding the standardisation of the service across the country. The Adoption Bill, which has now passed all stages in the Seanad, provides for a new regime for the accreditation of a range of agencies providing adoption services. This modernised regime more fully recognises the phenomenon of intercountry adoption and makes provision for the accreditation of agencies to provide both assessment services or mediation services. The Bill also proposes changes to the regulation of the activities, management and financial arrangements of such agencies. If enacted, there will be opportunity for the development of new agencies to assist in the reduction of waiting times in those areas where the waiting times are longest.