Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 14 May 2015
145. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the progress with regard to negotiating a bilateral agreement with Russia to enable some of the many thousands of children who remain in State care in that jurisdiction to be adopted legally into loving families here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18932/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraEfforts are ongoing in my Department in relation to a bilateral agreement on intercountry adoption between Ireland and the Russian Federation. It was intended to visit Russia in January of this year. However it has been decided to liaise with officials in the Ministry of Education and Science in Russia to ensure that Irish proposals in regard to the provision of post placement reports are acceptable to the Russian Federation.
The Irish Constitution protects the integrity of family life and once adopted in Ireland the child is treated in the same way as other Irish children. This means that the ability of the State to intervene in a family, when a child’s welfare and protection are not compromised, is limited. The Department has advised the Russian Federation of this Constitutional imperative in instances where families, who had given commitments to the Russian authorities in regard to the provision of post placement reports, fail to adhere to those commitments. In these instances the State has no legislative power to enforce compliance with the commitments given by Irish families, legal or otherwise, to provide post placement reports. It is imperative that this matter is fully addressed so as to ensure that further discussions on other aspects of the bilateral agreement are beneficial.
