Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 12 February 2013
615. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the reason the State has not funded Helping Hands Adoption Mediation Agency, in accordance with Hague conditions that such organisations should be state funded, in order to avoid profiteering from adoptions. [7200/13]
View answerThe Hague Convention does not require that accredited agencies be State funded. It is not currently the policy of the Department to fund accredited agencies. While accredited bodies are required to be not-for-profit organisations, it is open to them to charge reasonable amounts for services provided to applicants. Therefore, ongoing funding should arise from the payments for services provided. A number of issues in relation to accredited agencies are being examined by my Department in consultation with the Adoption Authority and the HSE; however, no decision in relation to future funding of accredited agencies has been made.
