Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Fine Gael)
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Question 323: To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the position regarding Garda clearance certificates in respect of inter-country adoptions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39897/11]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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The Garda Central Vetting Unit (GCVU) provides vetting services for a large number of organisations in Ireland registered with the Gardaí for a range of purposes including employing persons in a full-time, part-time, voluntary or training capacity to positions where they would have substantial, unsupervised access to children and/or vulnerable adults. The vetting service is also provided in cases of fostering and adoption.

Where requests for vetting in respect of persons seeking to adopt a child are received, the GCVU is not generally made aware by the registered organisations concerned of specific details such as the country from which it is proposed to adopt.

In the case of the individual who is the subject of this Parliamentary Question, I am informed by the Garda authorities that it is not possible to check the status of an application for Garda vetting in the absence of the person's date of birth. Should this information become available the necessary checks will then be made.

I also wish to advise the Deputy that more general matters pertaining to inter-country adoption come within the remit of my colleague, the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Ms Frances Fitzgerald, T.D.