Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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224. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs under the standardised framework for intercountry adoption assessments her understanding of the assessment process in relation to prospective adoptive parents in relation to their body mass index requirements; if the BMI target which was originally at 45 was reduced in 2010 to 40 and subsequently in 2012 to 35, her views on whether people who are above this level should be prohibited from being approved under the adoption assessment process; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19415/13]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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The decision to deem a person suitable and eligible to adopt is a matter for the Adoption Authority of Ireland and is taken under criteria outlined in Section 34 of the Adoption Act 2010. These criteria include that an applicant or applicants be of "good health and of an age so that he or she has a reasonable expectation of being capable throughout the child's childhood", of providing the necessary health, social, educational and other interventions for the child, and having financial means to support the child.

Applicants are required to submit medical reports as part of the assessment process operated by the HSE. An applicant's BMI is one of a range of factors which may be contained in the medical report.