§ 27. Mrs. Mannasked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many children have been removed from foster parents in Mull, and other islands in Argyllshire, since 1948; and for what reasons.
§ Mr. MaclayAccording to our records, 112 children since the Children Act, 1948, 178 came into operation. With permission. I shall circulate in the OFFICIAL REPORT a table giving the information requested in the second half of the Question.
§ Mrs. MannWould the right hon. Gentleman consider issuing a statement, similar to that issued for England and Wales, regarding children boarded out by local authorities, voluntary organisations and so on?
§ Mr. MaclayI will certainly look into that.
§ The following is the information:
| To go to employment | 67 |
| Unsatisfactory foster-homes | 16 |
| Behaviour difficulties | 15 |
| To attend schools on the mainland | 10 |
| Domestic difficulties of foster-parents | 4 |
| 112 |
§ 29. Mrs. Mannasked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he is informed by local authorities of decisions taken to remove children from foster parents on grounds of remote geographical location; and to what extent in such cases the parents or children are consulted.
§ Mr. MaclayAccording to the information which local authorities have since 1948 been obliged to give me whenever a child has moved from a foster home, no child has been removed solely because the foster home was geographically remote. The second part of the Question does not, therefore, arise.
§ Mrs. MannIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that the Grant children and the Johnstone children in Mull were removed, and that it was not on the grounds of education? Can it be that at that time all the foster parents in the Isle of Mull were bad?
§ Mr. MaclayNo, I do not think that that conclusion should be drawn. Again, I should be grateful if the hon. Lady would put down a detailed Question on these cases.