Reaction: The High Court judgment on the future of four-year-old Tristan Dowse has been widely welcomed.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern said Mr Justice John McMenamin's judgment would ensure that Tristan's future was protected, that he would continue to live with his natural mother and that Joseph and Lala Dowse would be obliged to provide for Tristan throughout his childhood.
"We set out to do everything possible to secure the protection and welfare of Tristan, an Irish citizen," Mr Ahern said. "We are confident that the judgment . . . underlines the commitment of the Government and the Irish State to securing the constitutional rights of children."
John Collins, chief executive officer of the Adoption Board/Authority, welcomed the fact that Tristan's inheritance and other rights were upheld. "It is a good day for adoption laws and reinforces that adoption is a permanent state with rights," he said.
Minister for Children Brian Lenihan said: "This has been a good day's work by the State for Irish children."
Fine Gael foreign affairs spokesman Bernard Allen welcomed the decision to vindicate Tristan's Irish citizenship, preserve his inheritance rights and ensure financial provision for him up to 18.