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Seanad
‹ Order of Business

Adoption information and tracing legislation

Summary

Senator Bacik welcomes the forthcoming Adoption (Information and Tracing) Bill and suggests a cross-party motion supporting the urgent medical case raised earlier.

In the light of what Senator Darragh O'Brien said about the awful circumstances of the case mentioned, I am sure we could agree a Seanad cross-party motion, although it is very late to do so. We would certainly have time to do it. We can all join in doing so.

I welcome the announcement that the Cabinet will be approving the Adoption (Information and Tracing) Bill tomorrow. It will give adopted children the right to access information on their birth identity, which is a welcome development. It has been promised for a long time and everyone in the House will be aware of the difficulties in drafting legislation of this kind. Colleagues on both sides have worked on the issue, as have colleagues in the Dáil. I look forward to the eventual publication of the Bill.

I also welcome the announcement that Máire Geoghegan-Quinn is to chair the Higher Education Authority gender equality review of third level institutions which is being conducted in the light of the Micheline Sheehy-Skeffington case. I know that other colleagues, including Senator Hildegarde Naughton, have been raising the case and have been concerned about issues around gender inequality following the Sheehy-Skeffington decision. I welcome the setting up of a panel to put forward what the head of the HEA has described as what he hopes will be "impactful" recommendations in the light of the review to ensure greater gender equality at third level.

We have heard a great deal this term regarding children's health and rising obesity levels. Senator Jillian van Turnhout has established a cross-party group, with the Irish Heart Foundation, to look at children's health and efforts to tackle obesity, etc. It has been suggested to me that we might look to the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport to institute a bike to school scheme, similar to the bike to work scheme instituted by the last Government, which has been so successful in encouraging higher levels of cycling among adults. The introduction of a scheme that would encourage higher levels of cycling among schoolchildren would be very welcome. It would be a really good initiative. I will be writing to the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport to suggest he take up this initiative, but I ask that the Leader to also support it. We might have a debate in September on how to improve children's health and the health of the population generally through greater promotion of cycling. We have seen great things such as the dublinbikes scheme working to improve levels of cycling but having a bike to school scheme would also be a great idea. It is always hard for schoolchildren to see back-to-school things at this stage of the summer when September seems so far off, but "bike to school" would be a good play on the words "back to school" and a very welcome initiative for children and parents alike.

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