Agenda item 4 is consideration of a legislative consent memorandum on the UK Children and Families Bill. As members will remember, the committee last considered the LCM at its meeting on 16 April, when it agreed to seek clarification from the Scottish Government on the bill’s implications for cross-border adoptions, given that Scotland has policies, processes and procedures that are different from those in the rest of the UK.
I raised a couple of points when the issue last came before us. The final paragraph of the Government’s response, which sets out the arrangements for dealing with adoptions north and south of the border and, in particular, those that require more specialist matching, provides helpful reassurance.
As no other members wish to comment, the clerks will now draft a report to the Parliament on the LCM, which will be circulated to members prior to publication.