Adoption of children in care
Shatter urged consideration of minority recommendations allowing some legitimate children in care to be adopted, citing about 900 children in care for over five years; the Minister said the issue would be considered in preparing the Bill.
In addition to considering the majority recommendations of the task force report, is the Minister taking into account the minority recommendations, which included one that legitimate children should be available for adoption in certain instances? Might I draw the Minister's attention to the fact that, in reply to a question I put to him yesterday, it appears that there are approximately 900 legitimate children at present who have been in care for over five years and who are unavailable for adoption? Would the Minister agree that the facility of adoption should be made available to children in these circumstances?
