Vol. 491 No. 3
289 Mrs. Owen asked the Minister for Health and Children if it is necessary for a couple (details supplied) in County Dublin to be reassessed if they choose to apply for a foreign adoption in view of the fact that they have already been approved for a local adoption. [11906/98]
The Adoption Act, 1991, stipulates that in order to effect a foreign adoption, prospective adopters must have a declaration from the Adoption Board that it is satisfied that they are eligible and suitable persons to adopt and, that in making such a declaration, the Adoption Board must have regard to an assessment report by the health board in which the prospective adopters are ordinarily resident or a registered adoption society. While a domestic adoption assessment will obviously examine many of the matters pertinent to a foreign adoption assessment, there are, given the cultural issues involved, a number of additional matters which must be examined in assessing applicants for a foreign adoption and a health board would wish to assess applicants in respect of these matters even if they have already been approved for a domestic adoption by a registered adoption society or by the board.
