No adoptions from abroad since new law was passed

None of the almost 200 couples approved to adopt under the new Adoption Act have managed to bring a child back to Ireland.

Under the act, which came into force in Nov 2010, Irish people can only adopt from countries that have ratified the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption or with which Ireland has a bilateral agreement.

Responding to a parliamentary question, Children’s Minister Frances Fitzgerald said, although no intercountry adoptions had been registered by parents declared suitable to adopt under the new act, this was due to a number of factors.