Vol. 573 No. 4
259 Mr. Haughey asked the Minister for Health and Children the details of the agreement reached recently with the Vietnamese Government in relation to adoption; if he will finalise the various outstanding protocols in view of the fact that failure to do this will cause unnecessary delays for Irish persons wishing to adopt Vietnamese children; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25660/03]
The agreement on co-operation on adoption between the Republic of Ireland and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam was signed by both parties on 23 September 2003. The next stage is for the agreement to be ratified by both Ireland and Vietnam. The agreement can come into force 30 days after the final ratification. In the meantime, the Adoption Board is working with its Vietnamese counterparts to put in place the necessary procedures and practices so that adoption applications can be forwarded to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam as soon as possible.
