asked the Minister for Justice if he will state whether he has received an annual report for the last year from An Bord Uchtála; and, if so, when it is proposed to publish it; and, if not, whether he will now make a statement on the work done or the progress made by the board to date.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - An Bord Uchtála Report.
I understand that An Bord Uchtála hopes to present its first annual report in the very near future. As provided in the Adoption Act, 1952, the report will be published and laid before each House of the Oireachtas. That will be done with the minimum of delay.
Three hundred and eighty-one adoption orders were made during 1953, and 26 applications were rejected. One thousand, one hundred and three applications were under consideration at the end of the year. Since 1st January, 1954, 257 adoption orders were made and 19 applications were rejected. Applications are, therefore, now being dealt with at a much faster rate—last year the organisation had to be set up and a good deal of preliminary work done before any applications could be considered.