Ireland formally ratified the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Inter-country Adoption on 1 November 2010. The Adoption Act 2010 was commenced on the same date. The Adoption Authority of Ireland was also established on that day. The Authority has responsibility for maintaining the Register of Intercountry Adoptions.
The Adoption Authority of Ireland has advised me that the total number of entries in the Register of Intercountry Adoptions, pursuant to Section 57(2)(b)(ii) of the Adoption Act 2010 since 2010 up until the end of September 2015 is 675. This includes 200 adoptions registered in 2010 pre and post the introduction of the Adoption Act 2010 and the ratification of the Hague Convention. The breakdown per year is as follows:
Year
|
Number of entries in the Register of Intercountry Adoptions
|
2010
|
200
|
2011
|
188
|
2012
|
117
|
2013
|
72
|
2014
|
34
|
2015
|
64 (up to end of September)
|