HC Deb 28 October 1975 vol 898 cc1460-2
Mr. McElhone

I beg to move Amendment No. 20, in page 17, line 13, leave out 'and (8)' and insert '(8) and (9)'.

The amendment provides for an adjustment of provisions in Clause 25(2) dealing with the status of a child who is made the subject of an order providing for his adoption overseas.

As at present drafted, the Bill provides that Schedule 2, dealing with the status of an adopted child in Scotland, shall apply to a child in Scotland. It is clearly not appropriate, however, that a child who is the subject of an order facilitating his being taken for adoption abroad should be given the legal status of an adopted child in Great Britain by virtue of the court order. The need for differentiation is all the greater given the enhancement of the status of such children under the Bill.

The amendment disapplies Schedule 2 to such children and brings the Scottish position into line with the position in England and Wales.

Amendment agreed to.

Mr. Hooson

I beg to move Amendment No. 233, in page 17, line 13, after '11(2)' insert '14 to 16'.

Mr. Speaker

With that amendment we may take Amendments Nos. 234, 235 and 236.

Mr. Hooson

Three of those four amendments are technical. The heart of the matter is Amendment No. 236 which proposes the deletion of subsection (5). The reason for it is that as the Bill stands it prejudices a small but vulnerable group of children; that is to say, minority groups. For example, it has been found possible to make successful placements of black children with black American Service men over here, and they are often willing to take older children.

If the subsection remains and the Bill becomes law as drafted, the work of the adoption societies will be inhibited. The amendments have the support of the Association of British Adoption Societies.

Mrs. Chalker

We welcome the amendment. In Committee I raised several times the problem of children of mixed parentage and the difficulty of adoption by parents not domiciled in this country. We hope that the amendment will bring to an end the difficulty which arises in the placement of many children who come into our adoption societies because one of their parents is no longer in this country. This has been a problem not only with our own Service men but with an increasing number of troops who move round the world. The deletion of sub- section (5) will do a great deal to help those prospective adoptive parents.

Dr. Owen

The Government have helped with the drafting of the amendments and I congratulate the hon. and learned Member for Montgomery (Mr. Hooson) on them, for they are important. We ask the House to accept them. As a Member representing a Service constituency, I am particularly glad that we are able to accept the amendments.

Amendment agreed to.

Amendments made: No. 234, in page 17, line 13, after '22(1)' insert '23'.

No. 235, in page 17, line 13, leave out from '24' to the end of line 14.

No. 236, in page 17, line 37, leave out subsection (5).—[Dr. Owen.]

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