Vol. 419 No. 2
64 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for Health if he will give details of the number of foreign children which were adopted abroad by Irish people in each of the years 1987 to 1991; if, in particular, he will outline the number of Romanian babies which were adopted by Irish people; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
As there is no legal obligation on Irish people who adopt children abroad to register the adoptions with a public authority here, the number of such adoptions effected during the years 1987 to 1991 is not known.
However, since the enactment of the Adoption Act, 1991 it has been open to people who have had an adoption effected in their favour in a foreign country to apply to the Adoption Board to have the adoption entered in the Register of Foreign Adoptions. I understand from the Adoption Board that to date it has received some 290 such applications of which 288 are in respect of Romanian children.
