Seven children have been adopted from overseas so far this year, while another 30 have been matched with prospective adoptive parents, Family Minister Michael Farrugia said this afternoon.

The number of children adopted this year already supersedes the total of last year, when only six were adopted in 12 months – the lowest in 11 years. Another three children were adopted from local institutions.

Adoptions have decreased sharply over the past few years, with figures dropping to 18 children in 2015, brought over from Albania, Slovakia and Russia. In 2014, Maltese parents adopted 27 children from overseas. In contrast, an average of 50 a year was registered between 2005 and 2013

Dr Farrugia was addressing a press conference about adoption and the introduction of benefits for adoptive parents.

So far this year, three children were adopted from Slovakia, while another four from India.

Another three from Slovakia, one from Russia, nine from Portugal and 17 from India have been matched.

The government has meanwhile reached an agreement with Vietnam and Cambodia and a verbal arrangement with Chile. It is also in discussions with Poland and had kicked off talks with Latvia, Czech Republic and Brazil, the minister said.

He explained that adoptive parents, who get the same maternity leave benefits as those who give birth to their children, will also be getting what is known as “child adoption credits”.

This means that whoever adopts a child and needs to stop working in order to raise them will have a maximum of four years national insurance contributions covered by the government over a span of six years.

In cases where the children have a disability, the benefits increase.