Vol. 482 No. 3
207 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Health and Children the steps, if any, he has taken with the Romanian authorities to eliminate the embargo on the adopting of Romanian children by Irish families, in view of the concern and disappointment being experienced by these families; and if he will request the Romanian authorities to respond as quickly as possible with a final draft agreement on procedures to be followed in both countries. [17786/97]
In 1994 the Minister for Health signed an Agreement on Working Arrangements for the Co-ordination of InterCountry 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.
My Department last week received a request from the Romanian Committee for Adoptions for clarification of certain aspects of our adoption laws concerning the establishment of the Adoption Board. The information sought has been provided to the Romanians. I am hopeful that a new agreement will be concluded in the near future and if any undue delay occurs, I will pursue the matter through the offices of my colleague, the Minister for Foreign Affairs. I would also like to point out that I recently met an official of the Romanian Department of Child Protection and I stressed the urgency of a speedy resolution of the issue.
