§ Mr. ThurnhamTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what conclusions were drawn from the recent visit by Department of Health officials to Romania concerning the work of the Romanian Adoption Committee; and if she will make a statement on the relevant statistics for recent numbers of adoptions.
§ Mr. YeoDepartment of Health officials visited Romania from 3 to 10 February and met representatives of the Ministry of Justice, the Committee for Adoptions and others. The Romanian law on adoption identifies domestic adoption as the first option; in 1992 there were 2,460 domestic adoptions. They are opposed to institutionalised364W care as a long-term solution to children's needs and recognise the role that inter-country adoption can play in avoiding this. They are concerned at the number of cases where children have been taken from the country without approval and are anxious to prevent this. To this end, they are determined to work only with those countries signing formal agreements. There have been 10 adoptions by British parents since the agreement was signed, three under the agreement and seven transitional cases.