Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 9 Oct 1997

Vol. 481 No. 3

Written Answers. - Foreign Adoptions.

Alan Shatter

Question:

103 Mr. Shatter asked the Minister for Health and Children whether the agreement concluded with the Romanian committee for adoption is currently being operated by which it is envisaged that persons declared suitable to adopt by the Irish Adoption Board who wish to adopt Romanian children are to process their applications to adopt in Romania through the Adoption Board; and if not, the reason the agreement is not in operation. [16011/97]

Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children (Mr. Fahey)

In 1994 the Minister for Health signed an agreement on working arrangements for the co-ordination of inter-country adoption with the Romanian committee for adoption. This committee was dissolved earlier this year and a new committee established in Romania.

In July of this year the new Romanian committee for adoption forwarded a new draft agreement to the Adoption Board. No advance notification was received in writing or otherwise from the Romanian committee of its intention to withdraw from the original agreement. Paragraph 11 of the 1994 agreement states that either party may terminate the agreement by giving three months notice in writing to the other party of this intention and that such termination will not affect the completion of adoptions already in progress. It would appear that the Romanian authorities have suspended all adoptions of Romanian children by Irish couples pending the signing of the new agreement.

The new draft agreement was examined by both my Department and the Adoption Board and it was agreed that a number of minor amendments should be proposed. My Department wrote to the Romanian Government in mid-September, 1997, enclosing a draft of the proposed amendments. The Romanian Secretary of State for Adoptions acknowledged receipt of the proposed amendments on 24 September 1997 and confirmed that they will be examined at the next meeting of the Romanian committee for adoption. I am hopeful that a new agreement will be concluded in the near future.

Alan Shatter

Question:

104 Mr. Shatter asked the Minister for Health and Children the current arrangements which apply to the adoption by Irish residents of children in China; and whether the new arrangements put in place are currently working. [16012/97]

Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children (Mr. Fahey)

Couples wishing to adopt children in China must forward the requisite documents to the Ministry of Civil Affairs in Beijing under cover of a letter from either a relevant government body or a non-governmental organisation recognised by the State for the purpose of assisting Irish couples proposing to adopt abroad.

The Adoption Board is the relevant government body in this instance and in April of this year the then Minister of State approved International Orphan Aid as a non-governmental organisation for the purpose of transmitting applications for adoption from China. However, the final decision regarding approval of International Orphan Aid is one for the Chinese authorities. Following my Department's initial correspondence with the Chinese authorities last May, a number of follow up inquiries were made through the Department of Foreign Affairs with a view to obtaining a response to our letter but no response was received. Since taking up office as Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children, I arranged for the issue of a second letter to the Chinese authorities in late August 1997 and I took the opportunity to restate my Governments commitment to the adoption of Chinese children by Irish couples but again, no response has been received to date and the Department of Foreign Affairs continues to pursue the matter on our behalf.

The Adoption Board, for its part, has formally transmitted documentation to the Minister of Civil Affairs in Beijing on behalf of a number of Irish couples wishing to adopt children in China but the Chinese authorities have yet to process the applications and again, the Department of Foreign Affairs is doing everything possible to progress matters.