Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Question 78: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the progress that has been made, post commencement of the Adoption Act 2010, on discussions to set up a bi-lateral agreement for inter-country adoption with Russia; when he expects this to be in place; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44364/10]

Barry Andrews (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The Adoption Act, 2010 was commenced on 1 November 2010. The commencement of the Act coincides with Ireland's ratification of the Hague Convention on the Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Inter-country Adoption. The 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 Act, 2010.

Agreements on administrative arrangements about adoption are a matter for the Adoption Authority. State to State agreements will continue to be a matter for the Minsiter, although the Adoption Authority will be responsible for many of the technical aspects of such agremeents. The Russian Government has made it clear that if adoptions are to continue, they wish to have bilaterals put in place with receiving countries. Prior to the establishment of the Adoption Authority, I wrote to the Minister of Education and Science of the Russian Federation to initiate discussions on putting in place a bilateral agreement with Russia that provides safety around the issues of consent and the financial costs of effecting an adoption. I will continue to engage with the Russian authorities on this matter.