Vol. 485 No. 2
228 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Health and Children the steps, if any, he is taking to facilitate adopted and fostered persons and those who have been through the industrial and reformatory school system, in gaining access to information concerning their origins; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22985/97]
The general steps I propose to take to resolve this issue are as set out in my reply to the question raised by the Deputy on 20 November last. Consideration will be given as to how the post-adoption contact system I referred to on that occasion can best facilitate the needs of persons who grew up in the care of the State, or were fostered prior to the introduction of the Adoption Act, 1952, or were adopted abroad. With regard to the issue of access to birth records, it should be noted that many of these persons are already in possession of the relevant information.
