Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
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Question 314: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if she will give a commitment to persons (details supplied) that they will receive their declaration of suitability from the Adoption Board as soon as possible in order that their inter-country adoption application will be covered under the Adoption Bill 2009. [12656/10]

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 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.

I brought forward at Committee stage an amendment to the Adoption Bill 2009 that will enable prospective adoptive parents to proceed with an adoption from a non-Hague or non-bilateral country, if prior to the establishment date, they have been issued with a Declaration of Eligibility and Suitability to adopt. The proposed amendment requires that the Adoption Authority (to be set up under the Act) would be satisfied that the particular adoption meets all the standards of the Hague Convention. Following the Committee stage debate I am also giving consideration to the possibility of including the three month 'cooling off' period provided for in the ratification process for the Hague Convention in the transitional provision.

The HSE and the Adoption Board are both aware of the deadlines associated with the transitional measure and are making every effort to process applications on hand for Declarations of Eligibility and Suitability to Adopt prior to commencement of the legislation.