Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 224: To ask the Minister for Health the discussion she has had regarding adoptions and a bi-lateral agreement with Ethopia; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17820/11]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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The Adoption Act, 2010 gives 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.

The papers for the ratification of the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption were deposited with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands on 28th July 2010. In accordance with Article 46.1 of the Convention, the Convention entered into force for Ireland on 1 November 2010.

Ireland does not have a bilateral agreement with Ethiopia in respect of adoption. Consideration of this matter is ongoing. Officials of my Department have been in touch with the Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Irish Embassy in Ethiopia as part of an assessment of adoption practice and the child welfare and protection systems in place in Ethiopia.

The Adoption Act, 2010, contains a provision 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 provision requires that the Adoption Authority would be satisfied that the particular adoption meets all the standards of the Hague Convention. In practice this will mean that persons with a Declaration of Eligibility and Suitability from the Adoption Board issued prior to 1 November 2010 can continue the adoption, provided it is a Hague standard adoption.

Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 225: To ask the Minister for Health if she is in receipt of correspondence from the Irish Ethiopian Adoption Organisation regarding a request for a meeting; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17822/11]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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Following my appointment as Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, I received a large number of meeting requests from various individuals and organisations. Due to the volume of correspondence, it has taken some time to work through the requests. I have received the correspondence from the Irish Ethiopian Adoption Organisation and will address their request as soon as possible.