Vol. 463 No. 1
34 Mr. M. McDowell asked the Minister for Health if he intends setting up a contact register which would be made available to all persons who have been adopted in Ireland and overseas to assist them if they wish to trace their natural parents; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5771/96]
I am aware that an increasing number of parties to legal adoption proceedings are seeking to reestablish contact with one another. I accept that the law in this area is in need of updating to take account of recent developments in adoption practice and the changing nature of adoption. The Health Strategy contains a commitment to introduce changes in adoption law and procedure to provide arrangements to facilitate contact between adopted persons and their birth parents. The question of an adopted person's right of access to his or her original birth records will also be considered in that context as the two matters are interrelated.
My immediate legislative priority in the adoption area is the introduction of amending legislation to recognise the adoption of children in countries such as China and to give fathers of non-marital children a greater say in the adoption process. This latter issue arises from the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in the case of Keegan v. Ireland, delivered subsequent to the launch of the Health Strategy. I will be seeking Government approval shortly to a proposed legislative response to that judgment.
It is my firm intention that work on the preparation of the necessary legislation to give effect to the commitment in the health strategy relating to the establishment of an adoption contact register will commence when the issues raised in the European Court judgment have been addressed.
As regards the scope of the proposed contact register, it was envisaged that it would address the needs of persons who were parties to legal adoption proceedings under Irish law. However, in the light of recent developments, it would be my intention to examine whether it would be possible to make provision for Irish children who were adopted abroad in the past. It is only fair to say, however, that this may not be feasible because it is unfortunately the case that no centralised system existed here for the recording of information relating to such adoptions. At present, my officials are ascertaining the information available from a number of sources on children adopted abroad in the past.
