Adoption Authority of Ireland Press Release 30 August 2022

Ms Orlaith Traynor, Chairperson of the Adoption Authority of Ireland (AAI), is pleased to announce the publication of the AAI Annual Report 2021. The report sets out in detail the activities of the Authority throughout the year and developments in adoption in Ireland.

In 2021, the Authority continued to hold adoption hearings and grand adoption orders using remote technology, and 101 adoption orders were granted via zoom.

The Authority warmly welcomed the publication on 11 May 2021 of the draft Birth Information and Tracing legislation, under which the Authority retains the Contact Preference Register for adopted persons and birth relatives. This legislation was enacted on 1 July this year. Once services provided for under the Act become available at the beginning of October the Authority will fully engage in providing adoptees with their birth certificates, early life information and - critically - their medical information. In June 2021, Chairperson Orlaith Traynor and CEO Patricia Carey appeared before the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Children, Disability, Equality and Integration, via video link, to give input on behalf of the Authority toward this historical Bill.

Key events of 2021 for the AAI

• Granted 101 domestic adoptions
• Added 469 new registrants to the voluntary adoption contact preference register.
• Identified 124 potential matches between new registrants and previously registered family members.
• Marked the first anniversary of the new AAI Board with 'Facts about Adoption in Ireland' infographic
• Published a research report looking at the adoption of children from Vietnam into Ireland between 1988 and 2020
• Took over the files of Here2Help agency

Media Enquiries

• Craig McKechnie - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.- 087 621 8839
• Richard Burke - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - 086 816 7822