Talks on visa for Romanian child

While Romanian child Mihaela Porumbaru is back with her foster parent, Ms Briege Hughes, the Dundalk woman who fought to keep…

While Romanian child Mihaela Porumbaru is back with her foster parent, Ms Briege Hughes, the Dundalk woman who fought to keep her in Ireland, is in talks with the authorities on bringing her back on an extended visa.

Ms Hughes arrived in Romania with the child early yesterday, and brought her to her foster parents in Targoviste.

Mr Ivan Ivanoff, the president of the Dambovita Child Protection Commission and Mihaela's legal guardian, suggested this week that Ms Hughes would eventually be able to bring the child back to Ireland permanently. However, foreign adoptions have been banned in Romania and the only option open to Ms Hughes, it appears, is to get an extended visa.

It was expected that she would be questioned by officials on remarks she made during the summer. At the time she had said the disabled child, who had been with her on an extended visit, would be returned to an orphanage.

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It later emerged that the child had been living in a foster family in Romania and that the family wanted her back. Ms Hughes said at the time she had not been told that the child was not in an orphanage.

Yesterday, Romanian childcare officials were unwilling to speak to the media about the situation.

Ms Hughes also refused to comment to reporters on her arrival.