Seán Ryan
Ceist:89 Mr. S. Ryan asked the Minister for Health and Children the reason a person (details supplied) in County Dublin has been waiting for 13 months for an inter-country adoption assessment by the Eastern Health Board. [6301/99]
Written Answers. - Inter-country Adoptions.
In the interest of equity, applications for inter-country adoption are dealt with in strict date order. I understand that the applicants in question applied on 30 January 1998, and that their assessment is about to commence.
I have received a large number of representations concerning both delays in commencing assessments and perceived differences between health boards in the assessment process itself. Last November I commissioned an independent consultancy to review the foreign adoption assessment procedures in the eight health boards with the aim of ensuring that an efficient and standardised assessment procedure which accords with best practice in the field operates across the country while at the same time having regard to the priority that must be attached to other areas of the child care services.
I will be receiving the consultants' report this month and the position in regard to intercountry adoption assessments will be reviewed in the light of the conclusions of this report.