Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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Question 552: To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the position regarding the ability of Irish parents to adopt children from the State of Florida; the number of adoption applications currently at various stages of processing; when she expects those at various stages of the adoption process to be able to complete the adoption process; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34789/11]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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The Adoption Authority of Ireland has informed me that it is currently in the process of examining the typical sequence of operational procedures and processes which are encountered by prospective Irish adopters when effecting an intercountry adoption in the US State of Florida, under the terms of the governing local State legislation within the sovereign State of Florida.

Since Ireland ratified the Hague Convention on 1st November 2010, it has been incumbent upon the Authority to satisfy itself that all intercountry adoptions undertaken into Ireland both satisfy the terms of the Convention itself and that all such adoptions are also compatible and compliant with the underlying provisions, ethos and assumptions of the new Adoption Act 2010.

In this regard, there are a number of critical and crucial aspects of routine adoption practice and procedure within the State of Florida which need to be examined by the Adoption Authority. It is noteworthy that these aspects appear to be common to virtually all inter-country adoptions by Irish adopters from that jurisdiction.

Following a request to the US Central Authority a delegation from the AAI will travel to Washington on 17th November 2011 (returning 19th November) to meet with representatives of the State Department (the Central Authority for the USA under the Hague Convention) to discuss certain issues which have arisen concerning adoptions from Florida.

The Adoption Authority of Ireland is an independent statutory body charged with implementing the Adoption Act, 2010. The Authority has responsibility for the direct operational implementation of legislation and Government policy. It has a quasi-judicial role and is independent in its decision-making functions.