I move amendment No. 4: In page 7, line 24, to delete “ Part 8 ” and substitute “ Parts 8 and 9 ”.

I move amendment No. 5: In page 8, to delete lines 13 to 15 and substitute the following: “(b) born in the State and— (i) placed for adoption outside the State by An Bord Uchtála, a person who was at the time a registered adoption society, the Authority or the Agency, or(ii) removed from the State by any other person for the purpose of the effecting of his or her adoption outside the State, and whose adoption was effected outside the State,”. This is an amendment that flows from the discussions we had on Committee …

I move amendment No. 6: In page 9, between lines 19 and 20, to insert the following: “(d) an arrangement made under section 36(1)(d) of the Child Care Act 1991, under which a child was placed with a relative,”. This amendment amends the definition of "care arrangement" to include records of relevant foster care. It was an issue that arose on Committee Stage and I committed to working with my officials to determine whether we have the definition right. I am pleased to be able to bring forward an amendment which furt…

I move amendment No. 7: In page 9, line 25, to delete “, subject to subsection (2) ,”. This is another amendment that springs from the discussions on Committee Stage. Collectively, this grouping of amendments removes the time limitation placed on early life information and care information. When first published, the Bill provided that the definitions of early life information and care information were subject to a limited time period that was deemed to end, in the case of an adopted person, at the date of his or he…

I move amendment No. 8: In page 10, line 3, to delete “, subject to subsection (2) ,”.

I move amendment No. 9: In page 10, between lines 20 and 21, to insert the following: “(d) a photograph or other image of him or her,”. This is another positive amendment that we are able to make, again following on from the discussions on Committee Stage. This is an amendment to the definitions to include specific reference to photographs within the materials that can be released. We felt, and still do, that the definitions we provided would have included photographs. This relates to the items that can be left for…

We have had significant discussions about the definitions used in terms of what we all know, recognise and speak of as illegal birth registrations - there was illegality involved in many such adoptions - and the use of the word "incorrect" in the legislation. I made the point that in my communications and those of the Government, in which we have engaged extensively with groups of people who have been subject to illegal birth registrations, we have always used that language of "illegal birth registrations". I also …

As I said, the reason we are not accepting this set of amendments is that to do so would narrow the pool of people who potentially may use this legislation. It would mean that a requirement or threshold of illegality would need to be met in order for people to be able to use its provisions. This is something neither I nor any Deputy wants to see. I have been very clear on my recognition of people's experience, as has the Government in terms of the range of measures we are taking both in this and other legislation t…

The key element in all this is to ensure the legislation is as inclusive as possible. That is what we are seeking to do, to ensure that as many people as possible can benefit from this legislation.

In response to Deputy Cairns, we looked at whether we could include definitions of both. I specifically went to the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel and inquired on that point because I know it is an issue people feel strongly about. The concern was that the definition of illegal adoption that was proposed in some of the amendments would not sit with the existing definition of relevant person or the existing definition of adopted persons, that the two definitions, as proposed, sitting together would clash and th…

Yes, "false or misleading".

I ask for the Leas-Cheann Comhairle's guidance. I will move a number of Government amendments that are in this grouping. These are amendments Nos. 31 to 34, inclusive, 39 to 44, inclusive, 48, 50 to 57, inclusive, and 63.

Okay. Apologies, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle. In the context of amendment No. 14, which was tabled by Deputy Funchion, this issue was raised on Committee Stage. We acknowledge that the assurance about the release not just of the information but of the documents that was repeated in other parts of the legislation had not been continued on there. We recognise that was an error in the drafting. Amendment No. 14 seeks to amend the definition of medical information to read medical records. The intention of this amendment is…

I do not for a minute question any Deputy’s view about the spirit of what we are trying to achieve here. We all are trying to achieve, as Deputy Murnane O’Connor just said, the full access to and the full release of all information. However, I do not believe the change being proposed in this amendment furthers that goal. I think it actually restricts that goal. Deputy Funchion spoke about the broadest definition of personal data but here we are providing a definition of personal data. It is a lengthy one and I will…

As we discussed on Committee Stage, we now have these very broad definitions of categories set out in legislation with which Tusla, the Adoption Authority of Ireland, AAI, and other bodies have to comply. That is now a legislative obligation that was never on them previously. We also have in this legislation the power to draw up ministerial guidelines on the implementation of those interpretations. If it is seen that a body is seeking to implement them in a restrictive way, a Minister can issue guidelines that make…

Fundamentally, my Department and my officials have engaged in a huge amount of work to bring about that culture change, as demonstrated by this very substantial Bill that we have worked on and prioritised to bring about those changes. I have seen and I believe there is a culture change beginning in those organisations. If the Deputy does not accept my view she should, as a committee member, invite Mr. Bernard Gloster, the chief executive of the AAI and engage with him. I am extremely confident that those bodies are…

I move amendment No. 16: In page 13, line 14, to delete “him or her,” and substitute “him or her, or a photograph or other image of his mother, father or other genetic relative,”

I move amendment No. 17: In page 14, to delete lines 4 to 11.

The information session is about the balancing of two sets of fundamental rights. There is the fundamental right to identity information of adopted people, and it is a right we all know has been denied for so long. There is also the fundamental right to privacy of a parent. The information session would apply in a very small number of circumstances because it will only apply where a parent has proactively indicated on the contact preference register a "no contact" preference. There is an existing national contact p…

I thought I only spoke once.