---

Dept for Education and Skills

Answer

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps he is taking to facilitate intercountry adoption from Bolivia to the UK. [188975] Margaret Hodge: The UK Government do not actively promote intercountry adoption. The Government do provide a telephone and web-based information service to prospective adopters. It also manages the transfer of intercountry adoption applications overseas, ensuring that the documentation is complete and complies with UK legislative requirements. The Department for Education and Skills also acts as the Central Authority for England under The Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in respect of Intercountry Adoption. The Central Authority for Wales is the National Assembly for Wales, for Scotland the Scottish Executive and for Northern Ireland the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety. The role of the Central Authority is to ensure that the requirements laid down by the convention are fully met. The UK ratified the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in respect of Intercountry Adoption in 2003. Bolivia has also ratified the Hague Convention. The convention sets out clearly the principles which govern intercountry adoption policy, practice and procedure between contracting states. Principally these are to establish safeguards to ensure that intercountry adoptions take place in the best interests of the child and with respect for his or her fundamental rights as recognised in international law, to establish a system of co-operation amongst Contracting States to ensure that those safeguards are respected and thereby prevent the abduction, the sale of or traffic in children and to secure the recognition in Contracting States of adoptions made in accordance with the convention. Prior to the UK's ratification of the Hague Convention Bolivia has refused to accept applications for intercountry adoption. The Department for Education and Skills has subsequently received correspondence from the Bolivian authorities setting out their additional requirements in relation to intercountry adoption. However, we believe that the convention adequately addresses arrangements for adoption between contracting states.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

425 c14W; 188975

Session

2003-04

Subjects

Intercountry adoption Bolivia Hague Adoption Convention

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk