OVER 700 foreign adoptions have been recognised by the Adoption Board since 1991. The majority of those were the adoption of Romanian babies by couples living in Ireland.
The board's registrar, Mr David Wolfe, said yesterday that while the majority of babies were Romanian, Irish people were now travelling to other countries, including China and Thailand, to adopt.
The board's annual report calls for the consolidation of the "disparate statutes" that constitute the adoption code. Mr Wolfe said the board currently worked off six different pieces of adoption legislation and a seventh would soon be enacted.
"There is a very strong case far the consolidation of the Acts within one statute, which would form the basis of the adoption law and would cater for the needs of the 21st century," said Mr Wolfe.
He pointed out that a small number of the foreign adoptions recognised since 1991 involved Irish couples living abroad, who had adopted in a foreign country" and wanted that adoption recognised in this State.
In the annual report the board expressed "serious concern" about people introducing pregnant women to strangers who have not been assessed by an adoption agency, but who take the baby at birth. It has experienced a number of these cases and called for legislation to prevent them.
"The board views with extreme concern the circumstances in which some direct placements are arranged where the prospective adopters are not related in any way to the birth mother."
The Adoption Board calls for the establishment of a national contact register following an increasing number of enquiries from people who were adopted, and from birth mothers. It says consideration should also be given to allowing adoptees access to their original certificates.
The board is "perturbed" that some people are tracing backgrounds in the absence of appropriate counselling.