Letter from Pádraig O’Cinnéide to Frederick H. Boland (Dublin)

I am directed by the Minister for Health to State that it has been brought to his attention that Societies in this country dealing with children and Institutions where children are maintained have received numerous requests from persons outside the country to send children to them with a view to adoption and that, in fact, as a result of such requests, many children are sent abroad for adoption.

The Minister considers that there is some cause for uneasiness in this matter since it seems possible that applicants for children may be persons turned down as adopters in their own country and, further, there is no means of knowing or ensuring that children placed in the care of applicants will be adopted legally in their new country or even that they will remain in the care of the original applicants. Under the existing law, the Minister has no power to intervene once the consent of the mother has been obtained.

The children so adopted are, in the main, illegitimate children with an uncertain future in this country and the Minister would be diffident in suggesting that obstacles should be placed in the way of their acquiring a new permanent home. He considers, however, that some measures should be taken to safeguard children's interests and he would be glad to have the views of your Minister as to whether it might be possible to arrange that aliens wishing to take children out of this country for adoption should be obliged to produce evidence of character, suitability and religion which should be supported by a recommendation from the Diplomatic Representative in this country.