Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 6 July 2004
390 Mr. F. McGrath asked the Minister for Health and Children if the Government will support the ratification of the Hague Convention on the Protection of Children in inter-country adoption; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20578/04]
View answerThe Hague Convention on the Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Inter-country Adoption 1993, signed by Ireland in 1996, is the first international instrument to regulate inter-country adoption on an international basis. Legislative proposals to ratify the convention were included in a consultation process on adoption legislation which I initiated last year. The proposed legislation provides a framework within which Ireland, by establishing a system of co-operation with those countries who have ratified the 1993 Hague Convention or who operate within the spirit of the convention, may regulate the process of inter-country adoption. The findings of the consultation, including views expressed on the legislative proposals to ratify the Hague Convention, are being examined in my Department with the intention of bringing proposals for legislative change to Government in the autumn.
