HC Deb 15 October 1969 vol 788 cc470-1

Lords Amendment No. 52: In page 54, line 40, at end insert: and been required by virtue of the following provisions of this section to give notice under subsection (SA) of this section in respect of those premises.

Mr. Elystan Morgan

I beg to move, That this House doth agree with the Lords in the said Amendment.

Mr. Speaker

With this Amendment we are taking the following Lords Amendments: Nos. 53, 54, 55, 56, 119, 120, 121 and 122.

Mr. Elystan Morgan

These are minor Amendments to Section 3 of the Children Act, 1958. They meet a point raised by the Opposition in Standing Committee which the Government undertook to consider. It was pointed out in Committee that the word after the semicolon in Section 3(5) of the 1958 Act did not fit with the rest of section 3 as it was proposed to be amended. These Amendments accordingly delete those words and replace them with a new subsection (5)(b).

The effect will be that a person who ceases to maintain foster children temporarily but expects to receive them back within 27 days will not be required to notify the local authority of this temporary absence unless that person abandons his intention to have the child or children back within that period or alternatively that period expires before the children come back.

The Association of Municipal Corporations and the County Councils Association agree that this is a sensible provision.

Question put and agreed to.

Subsequent Lords Amendments agreed to.