Written answers
Tuesday, 1 June 2010
Department of Health and Children
Foreign Adoptions
10:00 am
Jim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 260: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the reason there is now a two to three year wait for a referral for persons wishing to adopt a child from the Philippines, despite an executive agreement being in place between the adoption boards in both countries; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23315/10]
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 inter-country adoption arrangements will be governed by the terms of the Adoption Bill 2009 when enacted.
The Philippines has ratified the Hague Convention on the Protection and Co-operation in Respect of Inter-country Adoption and its domestic adoption law is compatible with Ireland. The issue of waiting times for referrals of children to Irish prospective adoptive parents with a Declaration of Eligibility and Suitability to Adopt is a matter for the authorities in the Philippines having due regard to their inter-country adoption procedures, including the application of the principle of subsidiarity as set out in the Hague Convention.
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