Written answers

Tuesday, 13 October 2009

Department of Health and Children

Adoption Services

12:00 pm

Photo of Tom HayesTom Hayes (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)
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Question 180: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the number of post-placement reports which are still outstanding and are awaited by Russian authorities. [35635/09]

Photo of Tom HayesTom Hayes (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)
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Question 181: To ask the Minister for Health and Children her plans for the draft agreement with Russia in relation to adoption to come into place; the number of staff working on this project; when work commenced on negotiating the draft agreement; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35636/09]

Photo of Barry AndrewsBarry Andrews (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to answer Questions Nos. 180 and 181 together.

The Adoption Bill, 2009, which is designed to give the force of law to the Hague Convention on the Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Inter-country Adoption, has passed through the Seanad and is scheduled to be debated in Dáil Éireann in the current Dáil session. The new legislation, which incorporates the provisions of the Hague Convention, is designed to provide a framework to ensure that appropriate procedures have been followed and that all adoptions are effected in the best interests of the child. Future intercountry adoption arrangements will be governed by the terms of the Adoption Bill 2009 when enacted. Only adoptions effected before the commencement of the Act can be registered on the Register of Inter-Country Adoptions to be established under the Bill.

Ireland has no bilateral intercountry adoption agreement in place with Russia. Preliminary work was undertaken on the development of a bilateral agreement with the Russian authorities on intercountry adoption and future discussions in this regard will need to take account of the provisions of the Adoption Bill 2009. Recent discussions involving my office, the HSE and the Adoption Board have focused on the completion and submission to the Russian authorities of a number of outstanding post-placement reports in respect of children already adopted from Russia.

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