Clause 1 - Paternity leave
Employment Bill
10:00 am
Mr Alan Johnson (Minister of State (Employment and the Regions), Department of Trade and Industry; Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle, Labour)
My hon. Friend touches on the central theme of my argument. We should allow paternity leave for adoptive parents whether they adopt from within the UK or abroad. Very few adoptions—around 300—take place each year in which the children involved are not British nationals. That is not the issue, but it is important to put the point on the record. It is also important to make it clear that we recognise that the process of adoption in other countries is not always as tightly controlled as it is in this country. However, although some parents act irresponsibly, most follow the approved process.
I assure members of the Committee that safeguards will be in place to ensure that paternity and adoption leave and pay will be available only to parents who have followed the approved process, including going through an approved UK adoption agency. Arrangements for intercountry adoptions can vary considerably from those in the UK and from country to country. In particular, the concept of a placement for adoption that is used in the Bill may not apply to overseas adoptions. Therefore, for practical reasons, there will be slight differences between some elements of the provisions for domestic and overseas adoptions.
The Adoption and Children Bill clearly marks the Government's commitment to modernise the entire legal framework for domestic and intercountry adoptions. We are determined to improve the performance of the adoption service and to promote greater use of adoption. With that in mind, the Department of Trade and Industry will continue to work closely with the Department of Health and in consultation with key stakeholders, who have all approved the proposals, to ensure that we get the regulations concerning paternity pay and adoption pay in relation to intercountry adoptions absolutely right.
I hope that the hon. Gentleman will withdraw the amendment. We must ensure that there is not one set of rules for adoptive parents adopting children domestically and a different one for those who adopt from overseas.