Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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1859. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the breakdown, by category of applicant in relation to requests made to TUSLA and the Adoption Authority for birth certificates and records under the Birth (Information and Tracing) Act 2022 since the commencement of the legislation in 2022; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19787/25]

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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1860. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the breakdown, by category of applicant in relation to requests made to TUSLA and the Adoption Authority for tracing services under the Birth (Information and Tracing) Act 2022 since the commencement of the legislation in 2022; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19788/25]

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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1861. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the current waiting times in TUSLA and the Adoption Authority to obtain birth certificates and records under the Birth (Information and Tracing) Act 2022; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19789/25]

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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1862. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the current waiting times for tracing services under the Birth (Information and Tracing) Act 2022; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19790/25]

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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1863. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of information sessions that have been carried out by the Adoption Authority under section 17 of the Birth (Information and Tracing) Act 2022; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19791/25]

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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1864. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of applicants who have refused to attend an information session under section 17 of the Birth (Information and Tracing) Act 2022; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19792/25]

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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1865. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the breakdown of the outcome of applications where the applicant has refused to attend an information session under section 17 of the Birth (Information and Tracing) Act 2022; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19793/25]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1859, 1860, 1861, 1862, 1863, 1864 and 1865 together.

The Information and Tracing services established under the Birth Information and Tracing Act 2022 opened for applications on 3 October 2022. As of 14 April 2025, the Child and Family Agency, Tusla has received 9,821 applications for information and the Adoption Authority of Ireland (AAI) has received 5,904 applications for information since the commencement of the Act.

A breakdown, by category of applicant, in relation to these applications for information, for both bodies, is provided below:

Number of applications received to week commencing 14 April 2025

In relation to tracing services, all applications are made to Tusla in the first instance, with a proportion then being referred to the AAI depending on which body holds the substantive file. As of 15 April 2025, Tusla has received 8,084 applications for tracing, of which 1,118 have been transferred to the AAI. Over 2,000 of these applications were received in the first two weeks of the tracing service’s opening in October 2022.

A breakdown of tracing applications, by category of application, is provided below:

It should be noted that tracing is a highly complex process requiring a specialised skillset. The sensitive nature of tracing means that it must occur at a pace that both the person requesting the trace and the person being traced are comfortable with. Applicants may also request ongoing support in respect of tracing and/or contact over an extended period. Each case is, in an important sense, unique.

Due to the high level of demand from the outset, and the time required to progress tracing applications, there remains a backlog of tracing applications to be cleared. Both Tusla and the AAI are working to ensure that all cases are allocated to social workers within the shortest possible timeframe. While all tracing applications are considered very important, applications have been prioritised on the grounds of exceptional health circumstances or advanced age.

For a tracing application that has been referred to the AAI, the current waiting time for it to be allocated to a social worker to begin the process is 14 months. For Tusla, which manages the majority of tracing applications, urgent cases including applications from people over 75 years of age, birth mother tracing and medical emergencies have been allocated shortly after receipt. Remaining cases were initially prioritised based on the age of the applicant. Currently, the outstanding cases from 2022 and 2023 are being prioritised for allocation regardless of age. In my Performance Statement 2025 for Tusla, I have requested that the efficient management of demand for tracing continues to be a priority throughout 2025.

Information sessions are carried out by the AAI, under Section 17 of the 2022 Act. 78 information sessions have taken place since the commencement of the Act. To date, no applicants have refused to attend an information session.