VISITING OF FOSTER CHILDREN

HC Deb 28 October 1975 vol 898 cc1523-4

Mr. McElhone

I beg to move Amendment No. 206 in page 56, line 34, at end insert: '(1A) In section 1A of the Children Act 1958 (visiting of foster children in Scotland) the words "where the local authority consider such a course to be necessary or expedient for the purposes of this section," shall cease to have effect, and for the words" from time to time "there are substituted the words" in accordance with regulations made under section 2A of this Act."'.

Mr. Deputy Speaker

With this we may take Government Amendment No. 207.

Mr. McElhone

These amendments together provide for the application, in Scottish terms, of the provisions contained in Clause 78 of the Bill dealing with the oversight of private fostering arrangements. The reason for their inclusion is related to changes made at the Committee stage in the provisions of Clause 78 as they apply to England and Wales.

The second of the two amendments is purely technical. It seeks to allow for the fact that the provisions in Section 3 of the Children Act 1958, referred to in Clause 78(3), are provisions which do not extend to Scotland.

Amendment agreed to.

Amendment made: No. 207, in page 57, line 13, after 'Act', insert: 'as it applies to England and Wales'.—[Mr McElhone.]

Dr. Owen

I beg to move Amendment No. 70, in page 57, line 14, after 'authority)' insert— (a) in subsection (5A), for the words "one or more foster children" there are substituted the words "a foster child", and for the words "foster children" and "any foster children" there are substituted the words "that foster child"; (b) in subsection (5B) for the words "foster children" there are substituted the words" a foster child", and for the words "any of them as a" there is substituted the word "that"; and (c)'.

Mr. Deputy Speaker

With this we may take Government Amendment No. 71.

Dr. Owen

These amendments are to make good the defects of Clause 78(3) as printed in the Bill. They make it clear that when regulations are made under subsection (2) of Clause 78 foster parents will have a duty to notify the local authority whenever they cease to maintain a child, as well as when they receive a child, unless the child leaves their care for a temporary period not exceeding 27 days—for example, to go on a holiday with its parents.

Amendment agreed to.

Amendments made: No 71 in page 57 line 16, leave out 'Subsections (2A) and (5B)' and insert 'Subsection (2A)'.

No. 72, in page 57, line 19, leave out subsection (4)—[Dr. Owen.]