Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Question 264: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if her attention has been drawn to the distress being caused to families by the unresolved situation regarding inter-country adoption; if her further attention has been drawn to the fact that adoptions from Russia to Ireland have been suspended since May 2009 and that there are issues outstanding in relation to the receipt by the Russian authorities of post placement reports; when she expects that these and any other matters in relation to Russian adoption will be addressed and resolved; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36872/09]

Barry Andrews (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The Adoption Bill, 2009, is designed to give force of law to the Hague Convention on the Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Inter-country Adoption. The Bill has passed through the Seanad and is scheduled to be debated in Dail Eireann during the current session. The new legislation 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. This applies in the case of adoptions from Russia and other countries who have not, as yet, ratified the Hague Convention and would seem unlikely to do so in the immediate future. Future intercountry adoption arrangements will be governed by the terms of the Adoption Bill 2009 when enacted.

Neither the Adoption Board nor the HSE have a statutory function in relation to the provision of post placement reports, though they have, and continue to, facilitate the preparation of same. The key commitment given is the legal affidavit, required of all applicants, to cooperate with the provision of such reports. Recent discussions have focussed on the completion and submission to the Russian authorities of a number of outstanding post-placement reports from adoptive parents in respect of children already adopted from Russia. This issue is being followed up by the Adoption Board and the HSE with the parents involved. I understand that the greater number of the outstanding reports have been competed and are with the adoptive parents for translation, apostilling and notarisation - that is, the social workers have already conducted the home visit and the report. In a small number of cases, parents have neglected or have been unwilling or unable to arrange for a home visit with their social worker. Further contact has been made again to arrange for all outstanding visits to be undertaken and is being prioritised by the Health Service Executive Adoption Services to ensure that parents can have the required reports forwarded to the Russian embassy in Dublin.

Preliminary work has been undertaken on the development of a bilateral agreement with the Russian authorities on intercountry adoption and discussions in this regard take account of the provisions of the Adoption Bill 2009.