asked the Minister for Health if he proposes to take any action to reduce the excessive delays suffered by children who could leave institutional care and be adopted, because of their parents' refusal to sign adoption consent forms.

The Government have agreed to the transfer from my colleague the Minister for Justice to me of functions relating to adoption and have further agreed to setting up a special committee to review the existing legal and administrative adoption arrangements. The point raised in the Deputy's question will come within the ambit of the committee's deliberations.