Member

Amendment 165 tabled by the noble Lord, Lord Russell, ably supported by the noble Lords, Lord Young and Lord Hampton, and the noble Baroness, Lady Bennett, concerns the new notification system for when a child is placed into temporary accommodation. It is fair to say, as has been outlined, that the Government are supportive of the principles behind this amendment, and I assure the noble Lord that the Government are considering how options for a notification system can work legally and operationally. As we have heard, the responsible Ministers across the departments of MHCLG, DHSC and DfE recently met Dame Siobhain McDonagh to discuss the design of the protocol, the list of public bodies to notify and the scope of guidance. Officials are currently working through these matters in detail. I cannot be more specific about that, but I want to reassure noble Lords that this is being taken seriously.