asked the Minister for Justice the number of court applications made under section 3 of the Adoption Act, 1974, by prospective adopters seeking a court order to dispense with the consent of the person whose consent is required for the making of an adoption order; the number of such applications which have been (i) granted, (ii) withdrawn or (iii) unsuccessful; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Written Answers . - Adoption Act Court Orders .
338.
: To date there have been 12 such applications, of which eight have been disposed of by the court and four are awaiting hearing. Of the eight applications which have been disposed of, six were successful and one was unsuccessful. In the remaining case no order was made as the court deemed an application under section 3 to be inappropriate in the circumstances of the case.
I do not consider that any statement from me is called for in relation to this matter.