Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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Question 80: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the position regarding the bilateral adoption agreement between Ireland and Vietnam; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24225/09]

Billy Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Question 82: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the position in relation to the bilateral agreement with Vietnam; the progress in relation to the interim agreement following her Minister of State's announcement on 22 May 2009; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24241/09]

Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)
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Question 92: To ask the Minister for Health and Children her plans to progress negotiations with the Socialist Republic of Vietnam on bilateral inter-country adoption during the summer 2009 recess; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24286/09]

Barry Andrews (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 80, 82 and 92 together.

The process on this matter has been on-going for many months now and the dialogue with the Vietnamese Authorities is continuing. Many Deputies have sought guarantees and specific timeframes for the conclusion of a new agreement with the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. I must reiterate my previous remarks on this point.

At this juncture, all options, including an interim inter-country adoption agreement, are actively being pursued by the Government to allow for the conclusion of discussions on a strengthened bilateral agreement and to facilitate continuity of the strong and positive relationship between both jurisdictions. It is not possible for me to either give a timetable or anticipate when discussions on the agreement will be finalised. Discussions on a new bilateral agreement remain live and the request regarding the negotiation of an interim arrangement has been made. It is now a matter for the Vietnamese authorities and, as such, it would be improper for the Government to seek to influence or interfere with this decision-making process. My officials are in constant contact with the Department of Foreign Affairs and with the Embassy on the ground in Hanoi. As late as last Friday, my colleague the Minister for Foreign Affairs was in direct contact with the Vietnamese authorities regarding the matter.

I was informed by the Department of Foreign Affairs on Friday last that Helping Hands Mediation Agency's mediation licence has been revoked. The Government had requested that the mediation licence for Helping Hands be suspended rather than revoked in light of ongoing discussions on a bilateral agreement. In the absence of an inter-country adoption agreement, the Vietnamese Government was not in a position to make any exception to the granting of a licence to Helping Hands. As a consequence, 20 applications, which are currently in Hanoi, will be returned to the applicants. These applicants were not given referrals before the 1 May deadline. This is obviously disappointing news for all concerned. I advised the representative groups on this development on Friday last. The families involved have also been contacted by the Helping Hands Mediation Agency. The reinstatement of the Helping Hands licence is necessary to facilitate adoptions from Vietnam. The Irish Government is actively trying to establish the status of the request for an interim agreement and the associated licensing requirements.

Despite this development, I must emphasise that all families who have already received a referral in respect of a child from Vietnam will continue to have their application processed to conclusion and will be supported by the Helping Hands Meditation Agency in that process.

I realise that the pending Dáil summer recess is causing concern with fears being expressed that Government business will be suspended until the Dáil reconvenes in late September. This is not the case. I have already advised all of the interested parties of my willingness to travel to Hanoi to support the successful conclusion of these discussions, if that is deemed appropriate. That remains the position. The uncertainty surrounding this process has caused stress and anxiety to applicants/prospective adoptive parents. This is something I am acutely aware of and any information that comes to hand continues to be shared without delay.

I remain completely committed to concluding discussions on the text of the bilateral inter-country adoption agreement with the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. I have explained the reasons for the renegotiation of the existing agreement. My policy objective is the protection of children. I want to provide the best possible assurances around international adoption and to improve standards for children and the families who apply to adopt from abroad. This is in line with the Government's commitment to ratify the Hague Convention on the Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Inter-country Adoption.