AN IRISH adoption mediation agency, which had its licence revoked by the Vietnamese authorities last year, is hoping to be able to register officially when the Adoption Bill becomes law. The Bill will ratify the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption.
Chief executive of the Helping Hands Adoption Mediation Agency, Sharon O'Driscoll told The Irish Timesshe hoped all the issues of concern to the Adoption Board, which has been inquiring into the agency's accounts since October last, will be resolved in the coming weeks and systems put in place to allow Helping Hands become a mediation agency for Vietnam and other countries.
Its licence was revoked by the Vietnamese authorities when the bilateral agreement on adoption between Ireland and Vietnam lapsed last June and was not renewed, following the publication of a report by Unicef’s international social service.
The report was critical of the practice of intercountry adoption in that country. Last October Minister for Children Barry Andrews announced an inquiry into the operation of Helping Hands by the Adoption Board.
Last December the board appointed a firm of accountants, Browne Murphy and Hughes, to examine the accounts of the agency in relation to the fee paid by prospective adoptive parents.
They pay $11,100 (€9,198), of which $9,000 is “humanitarian aid” paid directly to the Vietnamese authorities and the remaining $2,100 for various fees and services provided in Vietnam.
Ms O'Driscoll told The Irish Timesshe only met the Adoption Board accountants for the first time last week, when they were given bank statements.
She said she sent ledgers containing the figures, though not the bank statements, to the Adoption Board directly when they requested the information. She said Helping Hands had also sent in their annual audited accounts to the Adoption Board, the HSE and the Minister for Children.
Meanwhile, the Helping Hands agency decided last February to appoint its own forensic accountants, Grant Thornton, to help Browne and Murphy, she said.
Grant Thornton produced a report in May stating that they found no evidence of impropriety with regard to the day-to-day running costs associated with the provision of the agency’s facilitation services, and they were satisfied with the level of internal controls with regard to funds.
Their conclusions were released to the media earlier last week.
This was based on an analysis of the agency’s audited accounts and balance sheet, and an examination of sample invoices relating to such matters as the payments for passports in Vietnam, translation, province fees and medical reports on the children.
Grant Thornton stated in their report they did not visit Vietnam and relied upon the information provided to them by the Helping Hands agency there.