Minister Foley welcomes the launch of a survey of people with experience of the operation of the Birth Information and Tracing Act 2022

The Minister for Children, Disability and Equality, Norma Foley welcomes the launch of an online survey of people with experience of the operation of the Birth Information and Tracing Act 2022.

The Birth Information and Tracing Act 2022 provides a full and clear right of access to birth certificates and birth and early life information for people who were adopted, boarded out, nursed out, the subject of an illegal birth registration, or who spent time in a Mother and Baby Home or County Home as a child.

The birth information and tracing services introduced under the Act have now been in operation for over three years. The services are delivered by the Adoption Authority of Ireland and Tusla. Over 18,100 applications for birth and early life information have been completed.

There have also been over 9,500 applications to the statutory tracing service, to assist people to search for their birth relatives for the purposes of making contact or seeking or sharing information.

The Act also established a Contact Preference Register, where people can register their wishes in relation to contact with family. More than 4,400 people have registered their wishes on this register.

Section 70 of the Birth Information and Tracing Act 2022 requires that a review of the operation of the Act should commence no later than two years after its coming into operation.

The online survey of people with experience of the operation of Act will look at the operation of all of the services provided under the Act including:

• Access to birth certificates and birth and early life information;
• The statutory tracing service to assist people to search for their birth relatives;
• The Contact Preference Register.

Minister Foley said:

“I would strongly encourage the many thousands of people who have experience of the services established under the Birth Information and Tracing Act 2022 to take part in this online survey. Their views and experiences are essential to understanding what aspects of the services are working well and what aspects of the services need to be improved. They will help ensure that the services work as well as possible.”

The survey is a key element of the ongoing review of the operation of the birth information and tracing services provided under the 2022 Act, to look at what is working well and what can be improved. The review will also involve more detailed interviews with service users and consultation with service providers.

The review is being carried out by Quality Matters, an independent social research charity.

The online public survey is now open for submissions (from 10 June 2026) and will close at 5pm on 10 July 2026, and is available at:

https://survey.alchemer.eu/s3/91131498/Participant-Survey

The online survey takes about 10 to 30 minutes to complete. It is anonymous and entirely voluntary.

If you are taking part in the survey and have any questions, please email Sinéad Kelly at sineadk@qualitymatters.ie

A Service Users Advisory Group, including people with experience of using the services, has been appointed following a public expression-of-interest process. The Advisory Group is helping guide the research and will assist in interpreting the findings and contribute to developing the recommendations.

The review is being overseen by a Steering Group, chaired by a senior official of the Department of Children, Disability and Equality (DCDE) and including representatives of DCDE, the General Register Office (GRO), the Adoption Authority of Ireland (AAI), the Child and Family Agency, Tusla and Barnardos Ireland, together with the Special Advocate for Survivors of Institutional Abuse and an independent advisor.

Parts 8 and 9 of the Birth Information and Tracing Act 2022, which amend the Succession Act 1965 and the Civil Registration Act 2004 respectively, are not subject to this review.