Vol. 492 No. 5
69 Mr. Broughan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if, further to Parliamentary Question No. 86 of 9 July 1997, he will consider making the information contained in his Department available to those concerned for the purpose of enabling them to have their births correctly entered in the register of live births; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14557/98]
The information referred to relates to 11 children born in Ireland who were taken to the United States for adoption and whose births, linked to a particular Dublin nursing home, were falsely registered according to the Garda. This information is in Department of Foreign Affairs files in the National Archives.
The National Archives Act, 1986, restricts access to information relating to individuals in order to protect information supplied in confidence or the release of which might cause distress to living persons. I am advised that disclosure of information of a personal or private kind without the consent of those to whom it relates could constitute an invasion of their constitutional right to privacy. In these circumstances it would not be appropriate for me to make personal or private information about other people available to the 11 people concerned. However, I am willing to give any of them who contacts me or the Department of Foreign Affairs as much assistance as the Constitution and the law permits. Such assistance has already been made available in the case of two of them.
