Adoption process - HSE logjam cruel on kids and couples

HUNDREDS of Irish couples hoping to adopt a baby from abroad have every right to feel aggrieved over delays in vetting their applications or resolving inter- country difficulties.

Along with the children whose dreams of a better life are being dimmed, prospective parents are consigned to Limbo by HSE inefficiencies, failure to resolve a lapsed bilateral agreement between this country and Vietnam, and blacklisting by Russia. Since Irish babies are no longer available for adoption, there has been such an increase in the number of foreign adoptions in recent years that Ireland now has one of the highest rates of inter-country adoption in Europe.

However, any couple here wishing to adopt a baby has to navigate a bewildering maze of red tape, a frustrating assessment process that can take anywhere from 10 months to four years. If anything, instead of improving, the application logjam seems to be getting worse.