The Cabinet is to consider a Bill on adoption rights on Wednesday.

If it is approved, as expected, the Adoption (Information and Tracing) Bill will move to Dáil for consideration.

The Bill will then pass through the Dáil committee, the Oireachtas and finally to the President.

The Heads of the Bill will likely be published by September.

Stakeholders are hoping the legislation is enacted before the general election, which cannot be held any later than April 9th.

After the legislation is enacted it is expected that 12 month consultation period will be held.

The Adoption Authority of Ireland would be charged with collecting, preserving and storing information available and providing it to the new information register. That information would then be accessible to adopted people over the age of 18.

TUSLA, the child and family agency, will handle requests for information from adopted people. Some 50,000 people could benefit from the new laws, though rights groups say there are at least another 50,000 who will be excluded because their adoptions may have been illegal or informal.

The Adoption Rights Alliance, a group which advocates on behalf of adopted people, says they are concerned that adopted people who want information, and perhaps to seek their birth parents might be forced to register with TUSLA and might even have to attend a counselling session.

Co-founder of the Adoption Rights Alliance, Susan Lohan, says this would be unfair as any other person would simply be able to request a copy of their birth certificate from the Civil Registration Office.

The Adoption (Information and Tracing) Bill calls for adopted people to sign a new statutory declaration station that they will respect the right of the birth parent not to be contacted.

It is not clear whether people who sign the agreement and who then break it will be punished.

Earlier today Anne Ferris, Labour TD for Wicklow, said she was emotional and relieved to hear the news that legislation could be on the way.