Dominic Hannigan (Meath East, Labour)
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Question 580: To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs when she contacted the Health Service Executive to ask the HSE to undertake a review of all the records of people who were adopted pre 1953; the numbers of agencies contacted during this review; if there is a timeline for the review to be finished; if all the information from the review will be made available to people who are affected by the information contained; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25262/12]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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At the outset it must be understood that the Adoption Authority of Ireland, and its predecessor The Adoption Board, has no statutory responsibility in respect of the matter raised but has endeavoured to assist persons affected, to the extent open to it. In that regard, I would refer to the fact that the Guidelines on Information and Tracing services first issued by the Adoption Board in 2004 included acknowledgement of historical existence of a practice of illegal birth registrations and offered the Board's assistance in efforts to obtain any records that might still exist.

I am aware from the Adoption Authority that, in mid 2010, the Adoption Board conducted a review of information it retained of contact received from persons who had been told or believed themselves to be adopted, but where no adoption records existed.

I recently made enquiries of the HSE regarding the number of such records held by the Health Service Executive. The HSE responded that it has not carried out a review similar to that done by the Adoption Board in 2010. In light of this response my Department wrote to the HSE last week asking that it provide details as to what relevant information is in the possession of the HSE. I will be in a position to consider what, if any, action would be appropriate once the HSE has responded to my Department's request.