asked the Home Secretary whether, before the dissolution, he will seek the opinions of courts which exercise jurisdiction under the Adoption of Children Act, 1926, as to the existence of any grounds for amending either this statute or the present procedure there under, and, in particular, as to the desirability of enabling birth certificates to be issued which do not disclose to an adopted person the fact of his adoption in infancy?

The Courts have already been consulted on this subject and some valuable information based on their replies was given in the recently published Report on the work of the Children's Branch of the Home Office, of which I will send my hon. Friend a copy. The Courts reported that, generally speaking, the Act is working well, though some proposals for amendment were made. Amending legislation may eventually be required, but longer experience is desirable before it is contemplated.