Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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636. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the protections in place at present to protect the anonymity of mothers who gave children up for adoption in cases in which that is their choice; if there are proposals to change this to give a child an absolute right to find out who their birth mother was; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52314/21]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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The proposed Birth Information and Tracing legislation will enshrine in law the right of a person to know his or her origins. The priority policy underpinning the proposed legislation is to allow access to identity information to all relevant persons (adoptees, persons whose birth was illegally registered and those in certain care arrangements, for example, persons who were boarded out). This identity information encompasses birth certificates, birth, early life, care and medical information and provided items. The proposed legislation will empower these persons to access records related to their own identity.

The proposed legislation gives consideration to parents’ privacy rights through the following;

- A temporal limitation whereby the relevant person is aged 16 years or over;

- An information session to inform the relevant person in cases where a parent has requested no contact. Full information will then be released to the person.

- Counselling and support for mothers and adopted persons who may wish to avail of it.

The pre-legislative scrutiny process is currently taking place and I am looking forward to receiving the report from the Joint Oireachtas Committee and, subject to the timing of this, I intend to seek Government approval to publish the Bill and introduce it into the Oireachtas this term.