I propose to take Questions Nos. 194 and 197 together.
The Adoption Act 2010, consolidated previous adoption legislation and gave force of law to the Hague Convention on the Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption. The purpose of the Adoption Act, 2010, is to improve standards in both domestic and intercountry adoption. The regulatory framework governing adoption has been strengthened in an attempt to ensure that the best interests of children are protected at every step throughout the adoption process.
The area of information and tracing is extremely complex and requires specific legislation in its own right. Considerable progress has been made in drafting the Heads of Bill for the Adoption (Information and Tracing) Bill 2012. The proposed legislation has been included in the legislative programme for my Department for 2012 and it is one of a number of Bills which I intend to introduce in the Oireachtas during the course of this year.
While the drafting of the Heads of Bill is still under way in my Department, I can say that it is currently intended that the Heads of Bill will provide for the Adoption Authority to have responsibility for the safeguarding and maintenance of all adoption records in the State. It is also intended that the Heads of Bill will provide that the Authority is to have responsibility for ensuring that access to those records is provided to an adopted person or to a birth parent, in accordance with the Bill.
The draft Heads of Bill will be submitted to Government for approval prior to commencing the drafting of the Bill. It is not possible to give a publication date for the Bill at this stage.