§ 52 Clause 18, page 15, line 3, at end insert 'and linguistic'.
§ 4.30 p.m.
§ The Lord ChancellorMy Lords, I beg to move that the House do agree with the Commons in their Amendment No. 52. With this amendment, I wish to speak also to Amendments Nos. 96, 187, 201 and 294.
This group of amendments is intended to secure that due weight is given to the needs of children of ethnic minority groups and to enable them to develop with a proper awareness of their racial and cultural background. We examined this subject in our earlier consideration of the Bill. I am grateful in particular to the noble Lord, Lord Henderson of Brompton, who stimulated the debate by proposing a number of amendments.
If I may consider a little more particularly Amendments Nos. 52, 187 and 201, in various places in the Bill the welfare responsibility of the local authority, voluntary organisation or person running a children's home who is looking after a child includes a requirement to give due consideration to the,
religious persuasion, racial origin and cultural backgroundof the child concerned. An example is at Clause 18(5)(c). The Commission for Racial Equality supported amendments which would add a reference to the child's language and I gave an undertaking to the noble Lord, Lord Pitt of Hampstead, at Third Reading to consider the matter further. The Government, in the light of that further consideration, have agreed that this point should be expressly provided for and that is the intention of the three amendments, Nos. 52, 187, 201.On Amendment No. 294, the noble Lord, Lord Henderson of Brompton, and others were also concerned that some local authorities needed to do more to take account of the ethnic composition of their area and make greater efforts to recruit day carers and foster carers from ethnic minority families. Amendment No. 294, which addresses this concern, would require local authorities to have regard to the different racial groups of children in need in their area when they are providing day care services or encouraging applications from potential foster parents. We believe that this amendment will encourage a more positive approach among local authorities who do not already take sufficient action in this area, if there are such authorities.
Amendment No. 96 is a drafting point but one possibly of some interest. It changes a reference to religious creed to religious persuasion which is the word that has been used in other parts of the Bill. I beg to move.
Moved, That the House do agree with the Commons in the said amendment. —(The Lord Chancellor.)
§ Lord Prys-DaviesMy Lords, if I may speak to Amendment No. 52, we on these Benches are delighted that the Government have accepted the amendment. As the noble and learned Lord has said, the noble Lord, Lord Henderson of Brompton, raised 743 it at Report stage. We are delighted that the child's language is to be a consideration, and that we are not relying entirely on the child's cultural background. So we are very pleased to associate ourselves with this amendment and with the amendments which accompany it.
On Question, Motion agreed to.