§ Mr. Pollockasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has for bringing further provisions of the Children Act 1975 into operation.
§ Mr. YoungerFollowing consultation with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and other representative bodies, we have decided to introduce early in 1982 the following provisions of the Act relating to Scotland which the convention has agreed will have no additional resource implication for local authorities:
- Sections 4–7: approval of adoption societies by the Secretary of State.
- Section 28: restriction on arranging private adoption and placing of children.
198 - Section 32: submission to the Secretary of State of schemes for the payment of allowances to adopters.
- Section 74—part—and 75: power to transfer parental rights and duties to a voluntary organisation in respect of a child in its care.
We fully support the aims of the Children Act 1975, but further implementation of the remaining provisions will be possible only as and when resources permit. My Department is continuing discussions with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities on whether it might be feasible to have further limited implementation of the Act without additional expenditure being incurred.