Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Question 294: To ask the Minister for Health and Children her plans to secure a bilateral adoption agreement with Russia which meets the Hague Convention standards; her views on whether such an agreement can be put in place prior to the enactment of the Adoption Bill 2009, in order that Irish people can continue to adopt children from Russia. [29773/09]

Barry Andrews (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy is aware, the Adoption Bill, 2009, which will give force of law to the Hague Convention on the Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Inter-country Adoption, was published on 23 January, 2009. The Bill, which recently passed all the stages in the Seanad, will continue to be prioritised by the Government for its passage through the Oireachtas.

Under the proposed new legislative regime, prospective adoptive parents will be able to adopt from countries that have ratified the Hague Convention as well as from those countries with which Ireland has a bilateral agreement based on Hague standards. As part of the preparations for the likely passage and entry into force of these new legislative arrangements, my Office has been liaising with the Department of Foreign Affairs to identify and negotiate with countries that continue to seek homes abroad for children in need of alternative care that cannot be provided domestically. We are working actively to assess the possibilities of entering into bilateral inter-country adoption agreements with a small number of countries, including with the Russian Federation.

Ireland has no official bilateral inter-country adoption agreement in place with the Russian Federation. However, preparatory work to consider the contents of a draft agreement with the Russian authorities is currently being undertaken. Officials in both my Office and the Department of Foreign Affairs have been taking soundings in relation to inter-country adoption in the Russian Federation since April, 2008. This has included contacts with the Irish Embassy in Moscow and legal and other preparatory work on the possibility of a draft bilateral inter-country adoption agreement between the two countries. A first formal meeting, arranged with the assistance of the Department of Foreign Affairs, was held on 7 May, 2009, between officials from my Office and from the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Ireland. I will continue to advance this matter with the assistance of my colleague Minister Martin and of his officials in both Dublin and Moscow.

While every effort will be made to conclude a bilateral inter-country adoption agreement with the Russian Federation, it must be acknowledged that this matter will be partly determined by the Government of the Russian Federation.

Any applicant who is seeking to proceed with an adoption from a non-Hague country, or from a country with which Ireland does not have a bilateral agreement, should have regard to the likelihood of the adoption being completed in advance of the Adoption Bill being commenced.