Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 September 2024
56. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs when a response to correspondence (details supplied) from this Deputy concerning difficulties securing documents will issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37806/24]
View answerThe Birth Information and Tracing Act 2022 enshrines in law the importance of a person knowing their origins. This includes a child, whose now deceased parent was adopted, nursed out, boarded out or subject to an illegal birth registration, being able to access information on their parent’s origins as a shared element of their own origins. This means that the child can receive the same suite of birth, early life, care, incorrect birth registration and medical information that their parent (the relevant person) would have been entitled to receive, where the records exist and are held by one of the relevant bodies that provide the birth information and tracing services. Should any such relevant records exist, and are held by either the Authority or Tusla, they must be released in full to the child of the deceased relevant person seeking them.
In this case, following an application under the Act, the person concerned has stated that Tusla was not able to provide his mother’s records, and that he was informed by Tusla that the records had been destroyed when the mother and baby care home institution was burned down. It is unfortunate that due to the historical nature of the records, in some cases information may not exist.
Should the person concerned wish to provide their express written permission, my officials will contact Tusla and request that they explore if there are any additional sources of records which may assist the person concerned with finding supporting documentation. Ultimately however, decisions on passport applications are a matter for the Passport Office, and any further documentation which may be located will need to satisfy requirements set by that office.
