Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 172: To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if she or another group or agency now has responsibility for the regulation and operation of adoptions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28067/11]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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Following the commencement of the Adoption Act, 2010, which took place on 1 November 2010, adoption in Ireland is now regulated by the Adoption Authority of Ireland which is an independent quasi-judicial statutory body appointed by Government. The functions of the Authority are set out in Section 96 of the Adoption Act, 2010. These include functions of an operational, judicial and quasi-judicial nature in relation to the adoption process itself, as provided for under the Act and relating to the Authority's designation as the Central Authority for the Hague Convention on the Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption. Other functions of the Authority include registration, regulatory and standard setting functions in respect of all agencies providing adoption services in accordance with Part 13 of the Act and the relevant regulations. The Authority also undertakes and promotes research and publishes information about adoption and related services; provides information directly to the general public; supports others in the provision of information on adoption services.