Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 28 November 2013
148. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if there are plans by the Adoption Authority of Ireland to carry out an extensive audit of its own files and of all accredited body files for evidence of illegal adoptions; if so, the time frame for same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51108/13]
View answerRecords in relation to adoptions as well as illegal birth registrations are currently held by a number of agencies, including the HSE, the Adoption Authority of Ireland and also by private adoption agencies, maternity hospitals, private individuals and other sources. Information held by the Adoption Authority is primarily in relation to adoptions which took place since the Adoption Act 1952. If no adoption took place the Authority would not have an adoption file. Where no adoption took place, if records exist they may be held by a number of sources including hospitals, GPs, Mother and Baby Homes, religious orders and other sources. A large number of these files are being transferred to the HSE.
The HSE provides an Information and Tracing Service throughout the country to birth mothers, adopted persons and their families. The Adoption Act 2010, requirement that agencies providing Information and Tracing services would gain accreditation resulted in a number of religious orders deciding not to apply for accreditation and transferring files from their Mother and Baby Homes and Adoption Societies to the HSE. Approximately 25,000 files have been transferred to the HSE Regional Adoption Service in Cork, from the Sacred Heart Adoption Society, which had responsibility for Bessboro, Co Cork; Sean Ross Abbey, Roscrea, Co Tipperary; and Castlepollard, Co Westmeath. Work by the HSE on the organising and storage of these files has taken place and the HSE is anxious to preserve the integrity of these records. The HSE has sought the advice of the National Archives in relation to the proper storage of these files, which are of great significance.
The HSE also has records that include those for St. Anne’s Adoption Society; St Mary’s Adoption Society, Kerry; Ard Mhuire, Dunboyne, Co Meath; Limerick Catholic Adoption Society; St Patrick's Mother and Baby Home Navan Road, Dublin; St Louise's Adoption Society Dublin; Dublin Health Authority Board of Assistance; Rotunda Girls Aid Society; the Ossory Kilkenny Adoption Society; St Kevin's and St Johns Adoption Societies. The HSE is also in negotiation regarding files from Holles Street, St Brigid's, and St Patrick Guild. Furthermore PACT, who are an agency accredited under the Act, have records of various Protestant organisations. A comprehensive list of records held, and their locations, is available on the HSE website.
The HSE Information and Tracing Service recognises the importance attached to this area of service provision and has put in place a plan to redistribute records from individual institutions in their entirety, to the various adoption teams around the country, in a concerted effort to reduce waiting times. The HSE is in the process of reorganising the information and tracing system to allocate social work resources country wide in a way that will allow for reduced waiting times across the country. The HSE has advised me that, in the first instance, any person seeking information on adoption, or an illegal registration of a birth, should contact the Adoption Authority of Ireland or the HSE Community Services who will assist in directing them to the personnel dealing with their particular records. The HSE is working to provide a more streamlined service and to ensure that enquiries in regard to information and tracing are handled as quickly as possible.
The National Adoption Contact Register which is operated by the Adoption Authority was established in 2005 to assist adopted people and their natural families to make contact with each other, exchange information or state their contact preferences. They decide, through a range of information and contact options, how they wish to proceed. The Authority, the Health Service Executive and accredited adoption services routinely inform enquirers about the existence of the register and encourage anyone interested in tracing or gaining information to sign up. I am conscious of recent media coverage of the issue of information and tracing and I would hope that this will encourage more birth mothers in particular to access the Contact Preference Register and where possible to consent to the release of information. I have no plans to initiate an audit of all files in this regard.
