Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the average waiting time at present for inter country adoptions; the way this compares to previous years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36995/12]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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The Adoption Act, 2010, which was commenced on 1st November 2010, coincided with Ireland's formal ratification of the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption. The Adoption Authority has been proactive in developing relationships with its Hague counterparts around the world and this will continue. The building of such relationships will help to bring greater clarity to the intercountry adoption process generally, including the timescales involved for adopting from different countries.

The HSE has advised that waiting times for intercountry adoption assessments have reduced considerably across the country. According to the HSE the waiting time for assessments varies around the country and, in general, the maximum waiting time is 12 months. The Adoption Authority informs me that waiting times between the sending of an adoption application pack and the actual completion of an adoption in sending countries may vary greatly and may extend to as much as 3 years or more in some cases. The Adoption Authority has no influence with regard to the waiting times involved in these sending countries. Furthermore, some jurisdictions require a two stage adoption process which entails post-placement reports being submitted during an initial period of guardianship before an adoption is approved and finalised by the AAI.