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Children and Young Persons Bill [HL]

I confess to feeling a degree of exasperation, as I am just sorry that these amendments need to be tabled at all. I believe that from 1948 onwards it has been practice, under legislation, for siblings to be placed together wherever possible, although I take my noble and learned friend’s point about that happening only where, following assessment, it is deemed appropriate for all the siblings. It seems to me that this is all to do with there being sufficient placements, about which later amendments have been tabled. Therefore, again this is a question of resource and the way in which the structure is put in place to provide the necessary expertise and skill. I take the point made by my noble friend Lady Murphy in that regard. Those making the assessments must have sufficient expertise and skill to understand the nature of the relationships. I should like the Minister to take on board the point made by my noble friend Lord Listowel—that children may be linked by affinity and not by blood. That is extraordinarily important, bearing in mind the Welsh case that we heard about. I would support the amendments if I thought that there were not enough legislation already on the statute book, but I should like to hear what the Minister says about ensuring that children have the right to contact by affinity as well as by blood.