There has been a mixed reaction from adoptees' advocacy groups to Government plans to give adopted people a statutory right to information about their birth parents.
People receiving such information would have to agree to not attempt to contact their natural parents, either directly or indirectly.
Today's Government initiative has its roots in the outcry sparked by last year's discovery of the graves of some of the almost 800 children who died in Tuam's mother and baby home.
Adoptees from such homes, and others, stepped up their efforts to vindicate their right to their identities.
Minister for Children and Youth Affairs James Reilly detailed the draft Adoption Information and Tracing legislation this afternoon.
It provides for a presumption that adoptees' birth certificates - which identify the birth mother - can be issued unless a birth parent can provide compelling reasons, such as a possible endangerment to life, that would result from its release.
The person receiving the information would have to sign a statutory declaration to respect the privacy of the birth parent and not to try to contact them directly or indirectly.
Mr Reilly described the draft legislation as a major breakthrough on dealing with a statutory entitlement to identity information for adopted people.
He said sufficient safeguards exist in the bill to ensure birth parents' constitutional right to privacy is protected.
Child and Family Agency Tusla will establish an Adoption Information Register on which adoptees, birth parents or relatives wishing to have contact can apply to have their details recorded.
Other information, for example on medical history, would only be released with the consent of both parties.
With a general election at most six months away, today's bill is unlikely to be passed by the current Government.
If a future Oireachtas passes the proposed law, there would be a period of one year before it was fully implemented to allow for an awareness campaign to urge birth mothers to register their wish to be, or not to be, contacted.
Susan Lohan of the Adoption Rights Alliance said she has great expectations of today's briefing, but that the minister did not describe important detail on how to apply for birth certs and information from files and the time scales on which to expect the specifics.
Speaking on RTÉ's Six One, she said that despite Mr Reilly's best intentions, very important information on how to apply and how long it will take was not detailed.
Ms Lohan said that she is also concerned Tusla will not have the resources to deal with the arrangement.
