asked the Minister for Health if he has any plans to amend the adoption legislation in order to allow Irish children, who have been adopted abroad, to have their names recorded in the adopted children register and accordingly to allow the issue of birth certificates in respect of such children, recording the details of their adoption, which is not the case at the moment; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Written Answers. - Adoption Legislation.
149.
I presume the Deputy is referring to children who were adopted abroad by Irish couples and brought back to live here.
Section 22 of the Adoption Act, 1952 requires An t-Ard Chlaraitheoir to maintain an adoption children register containing an entry in respect of each child adopted under the Adoption Acts, 1952 to 1976.
An extract from the register is not a birth certificate since it shows clearly that the child has been adopted but it has the status of a birth certificate for most purposes. It is not legally possible, at present, to enter in the register details of a child who has been adopted abroad unless the child is subsequently readopted under domestic legislation.
The whole question of the recognition of foreign adoptions is one that I intend to address in the comprehensive Adoption Bill which I intend to bring forward. The inclusion in the adoption children register of details of children adopted abroad will arise for consideration in that context.