Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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533. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs in relation to the Adoption Authority of Ireland and their report outlining a possible age limit for adoptive parents, if she will detail the reasons within this report; if this report will be made available on the AAI website; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16207/14]

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.

The Authority has recommended that a maximum age differentialof 42 years between the adoptive parent and child to be adopted be considered in order to safeguard the best interests of the chid to be adopted. It is important to note that this is an age differential and not an age limit of 42 years. I have indicated that I am against an age limit, per se.