Kevin Humphreys (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 475: To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs when the Adoption Authority of Ireland, AAI, will visit Ethiopia with regard to the formulation of a bilateral treaty; if she will provide a timeline or date for this visit; the progress that has been made on the AAI review on this issue; when the results of that review will be published; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12607/12]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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Adoptions from Ethiopia, effected under the transitional arrangements provided for in the Adoption Act 2010, are ongoing and are currently being examined, and recognised, by the Adoption Authority of Ireland (AAI). These transitional arrangements may lead to adoptions from Ethiopia taking place up to the end of October 2013.

Adoptions from Ethiopia which are not covered by the transitional arrangements referred to above would require a bilateral agreement between Ireland and Ethiopia. The negotiation of bilateral agreements on intercountry adoption with states who have not ratified the Hague Convention is governed by Section 73 of the Adoption Act 2010 which states that "the Authority, with the prior consent of the Minister, may enter into discussions with any non-contracting state concerning the possibility of the Government entering into a bilateral agreement with that State."

I have written to the AAI giving approval for the commencement of the process of examining the feasibility of a bilateral agreement with Ethiopia. The AAI have confirmed that, with the assistance of the Irish Embassy in Addis Ababa, they have sought an expert legal narrative and description of the current Ethiopian adoption law. The AAI will examine this to test for compatibility and compliance with the Adoption Act 2010. A delegation from the Adoption Authority will visit Ethiopia in the near future as part of this process. Arrangements for the AAI visit are currently being put in place by the AAI in conjunction with the Irish Embassy in Ethiopia. The review and the visit by the Authority will inform the AAI advice to me on the feasibility of a bilateral agreement with Ethiopia. The AAI is aware that I am anxious to bring clarity to the situation with regard to Ethiopia as soon as possible.

Any future bilateral arrangements which might be entered into would also be required by law to meet the minimum standards set out in the Hague Convention. As the Hague Convention is designed to ensure a minimum set of standards in intercountry adoption, the Adoption Authority of Ireland have indicated that their first priority is to reach agreement on arrangements with other Hague countries. The AAI are in the process of developing administrative arrangements with a number of countries who are signatories to the Hague Convention.