Member

I have a lot of sympathy for Amendment 145, in the name of the noble Lord, Lord Watson. As he pointed out, it is 20 years since we have had a review of the regulations, and in that time the number of children being adopted has stagnated in some areas and declined in others, despite this being the most permanent and secure solution for them. Maybe when he comes to close—although perhaps I misunderstood his amendment —the noble Lord could explain something. I was puzzled by the focus being exclusively on local authority adoption services, when, as he knows, many voluntary sector organisations also do great work in this area.