Minister Asked Whether New Adoption Legislation is Being Outsourced from the Department and Why? - Tóibín
Aontú Leader and Meath West TD Peadar Tóibín has called on the government to confirm or deny whether or not new Adoption Legislation being the developed by the Minister is being outsourced out of the Department of Children and why?
Speaking in the Dáll this morning An Teachta Tóibín stated;
“It is outrageous that after all the debates in this house, all the documentaries, all the reports and commissions and all the apologies, there are still people out there who don’t know who they are, who cannot access their birth records or medical records. People are growing old wondering what their mother’s name is and if she is still alive. People are being asked daily by doctors as to what their family health history is and they simply don’t know. People are being asked when they are getting car insurance or accessing bank accounts, what their date of birth is and they have no idea. Each time they are asked, the reality of what the system has done to them hits home. For many of these people, TUSLA, the HSE and other State bodies know the answer to their questions, but won’t share those answers with the survivors. This is outrageous”.
“The major question for the government is why is this? I am very concerned that the Minister for Children has been captured by his department. I believe that there has been significant resistance within the Department of Children to do the right thing by these people who have suffered so much. I understand that some people within the Dept did not want to investigate illegal adoptions. I understand that the Dept had many files on illegal adoptions but that they did not share these with previous Ministers”.
“Many people are frustrated about the report of the commission but the Commission were not asked to investigate the Illegal Adoptions. The issue of illegal birth registrations was omitted from the terms of reference of the Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation in 2014. The terms of reference that came from this department that took 6 months to draft yet it did not seek directly to investigate this issue”.
“My understanding is that the government may have finally woken up to the resistance within the department. I understand that the Government is outsourcing the drafting of the legislation on this issue. This is very unusual, This is not the norm. I understand that its costing €250,000 for the government to do this. I am asking the Minister to tell us if this is the case and why is it happening. Minister will you confirm for the Dáil here today who is drafting this legislation?
“Even after all of this, the minister this morning equivocated on the radio on whether or not the new legislation will give access to information to the people that need it. The Ministers has the “Adoption Orders”. The minister could release them now. I understand that it does not need legislation. If the Ministers new bill is constitutional then giving these Adoption orders would also be constitutional”.
“I welcome the fact that the Department published the review into illegal adoptions, but the fact isn’t lost on me that this review was commissioned in 2018, when was this review completed, when was it brought before cabinet and why was it not published until after RTE ran an exposé on illegal adoptions this week? Why are you and your Government not driving an agenda for justice. Why are you and your department reactive to the crisis as it unfolds in the media. Why are you a passenger on this vehicle and not driving it”.
