Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
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34. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if she will act on the recommendation of the UN special rapporteur calling on Ireland to carry out a comprehensive national examination of forced and illegal adoptions, including audits of records in the hands of the State, while ensuring that persons whose birth records were falsified have access to information and redress; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14444/19]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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I welcome the Special Rapporteur’s recommendation regarding illegal registrations. The Adoption (Information and Tracing) Bill, 2016 will address the recommendation regarding access to information for illegally registered people as they will be able to apply for an information and tracing service on the same basis as adopted people. However, we do know that the practice of illegal birth registrations can be extremely difficult to prove in most instances, often because there was also a deliberate failure of those involved to record any information about it.

The Deputy will be aware that a review of a sample of files within the custody of the State is currently taking place. This process is being overseen by an Independent Reviewer, Marion Reynolds, who is a former Deputy Director of Social Services in Northern Ireland. The findings of this review will assist me in reaching a decision about what, if any, subsequent action might be deemed necessary to identify more fully the scale of illegal birth registrations. I am expecting to receive the report before Easter.