There’s been a low uptake in Kerry in people seeking birth information from the Adoption Authority of Ireland.
The Contact Preference Register was established last year under the Birth Information and Tracing Act 2022, and allows people register their preference with regards to making contact or requesting privacy, and creates a statutory tracing service.
It also allows a person who was adopted, boarded out, a mother and baby home or county home resident, or whose birth was illegally registered, to apply for a birth certificate, or birth, early life, care, and medical information.
Nationally, more than 3,800 applications have been made for birth certificates or other information; there’s been just 71 applications for birth information from Kerry.
Interim CEO of the Adoption Authority of Ireland, Colm O’Leary, says Kerry’s figures are quite low, and while he acknowledges it can be an emotional journey, he’s encouraging people to make an application.
