1

House of Commons

Tuesday 30 June 2015

Public Bill Committee

New Amendments handed in are marked thus

Amendments which will comply with the required notice period at their next appearance

Amendments tabled since the last publication: 1 to 23 and NC1

Education and Adoption Bill

Note

This document includes all amendments tabled to date and includes any

withdrawn amendments at the end. The amendments have been arranged in

accordance with the Resolution of the Programming Sub-Committee.

Resolution of the Programming Sub-Committee

The Programming Sub-Committee appointed by the Speaker in respect of the Bill

agreed the following Resolution at its meeting on Monday 29 June 2015 (Standing Order

83C):

That—

(1)  

the Committee shall (in addition to its first meeting at 8.55 am on Tuesday 30

June meet—

(a)  

at 2.00 pm on Tuesday 30 June;

(b)  

at 11.30 am and 2.00 pm on Thursday 2 July;

(c)  

at 9.25 am and 2.00 pm on Tuesday 7 July;

(d)  

at 11.30 am and 2.00 pm on Thursday 9 July;

(e)  

at 9.25 am and 2.00 pm on Tuesday 14 July;

(2)  

the Committee shall hear oral evidence in accordance with the following

Table:

Public Bill Committee: 30 June 2015                     

2

Education and Adoption Bill, continued

TABLE

Public Bill Committee: 30 June 2015                     

3

Education and Adoption Bill, continued

(3)  

proceedings on consideration of the Bill in Committee shall be taken in the

following order: Clause 13; Clauses 2 to 12; Clause 1; Clauses 14 to 18; new

Clauses; new Schedules; remaining proceedings on the Bill;

(4)  

the proceedings shall (so far as not previously concluded) be brought to a

conclusion at 5.00 pm on Tuesday 14 July.

Nick Gibb has given notice of his intention to move a motion in the terms of the

Resolution of the Programming Sub-Committee (Standing Order No. 83C).

Nick Gibb

That, subject to the discretion of the Chair, any written evidence received by the

Committee shall be reported to the House for publication.

Nick Gibb

That, at this and any subsequent meeting at which oral evidence is to be heard, the

Committee shall sit in private until the witnesses are admitted.

Steve McCabe

Kevin Brennan

Graham Jones

1

Clause  13,  page  8,  line  18,  leave out “give directions” and insert “make orders”

Steve McCabe

Kevin Brennan

Graham Jones

2

Clause  13,  page  8,  line  23,  leave out “A direction” and insert “An order”

Steve McCabe

Kevin Brennan

Graham Jones

7

Clause  13,  page  8,  line  26,  at end insert—

Public Bill Committee: 30 June 2015                     

4

Education and Adoption Bill, continued

“( )    

Where a direction under subsection (1) is to be given the Secretary of State must

first publish a statement setting out the criteria against which he has selected the

body or bodies who will carry out the functions in the direction.”

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment would require the Secretary of State to disclose the criteria against which the

body or bodies taking on adoption functions have been selected.

Steve McCabe

Kevin Brennan

Graham Jones

8

Clause  13,  page  8,  line  35,  at end insert—

“( )    

Where a direction under subsection (1) is to be given, and the functions in the

direction include the recruitment of persons as prospective adopters, the Secretary

of State must first publish a statement setting out the criteria against which

adopters will be selected after the arrangements in the direction come into

operation.”

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment would prevent the body or bodies taking on adoption functions from changing key

criteria.

Steve McCabe

Kevin Brennan

Graham Jones

Bill Esterson

9

Clause  13,  page  8,  line  35,  at end insert “including support identified in needs

assessments of adopted children”

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment would require the new arrangements to recognise that adequate provision of

adoption includes support to meet the needs identified in individual assessments of the adopted

children.

Steve McCabe

Kevin Brennan

Graham Jones

3

Clause  13,  page  8,  line  36,  leave out “a direction” and insert “an order”

Steve McCabe

Kevin Brennan

Graham Jones

4

Clause  13,  page  8,  line  37,  leave out “a direction” and insert “an order”

Steve McCabe

Kevin Brennan

Graham Jones

10

Clause  13,  page  8,  line  38,  after subsection (4) insert—

“( )    

The Secretary of State shall make arrangements for the independent inspection

and monitoring of the functioning of arrangements resulting from a direction

under subsection (1).

( )    

Where an independent inspection or monitoring report raises serious concerns

about the functioning of arrangements subject to a direction under subsection (1),

Public Bill Committee: 30 June 2015                     

5

Education and Adoption Bill, continued

the Secretary of State must consider whether to exercise his power in subsection

(4).”

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment aims to ensure scrutiny of new arrangements established by Ministerial Direction

and promotes remedial action where the results of scrutiny raises serious concerns.

Steve McCabe

Kevin Brennan

Graham Jones

5

Clause  13,  page  8,  line  39,  leave out “A direction” and insert “An order”

Steve McCabe

Kevin Brennan

Graham Jones

Bill Esterson

11

Clause  13,  page  8,  line  40,  at end insert—

“( )    

When giving a direction under this section, the Secretary of State must publish a

statement stating his satisfaction, or otherwise, that the outcomes of the proposed

arrangements are consistent with arrangements in place across the whole sector.”

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment is aimed at establishing that adoption functions would remain fully integrated

within regional agencies responsible for all permanence arrangements for children, such as

fostering, kinship care, returning children home and post placement support.

Steve McCabe

Kevin Brennan

Graham Jones

6

Clause  13,  page  8,  line  41,  at end insert—

“( )    

Orders under subsection (1)—

(a)    

shall be made by statutory instrument, and

(b)    

may not be made unless a draft has been laid before and approved by  

resolution of each House of Parliament.”

Member’s explanatory statement

These amendments Nos 1 to 6 would require joint arrangements proposed by the Secretary of State

to be implemented only after approval by both Houses of Parliament.

Steve McCabe

Kevin Brennan

Graham Jones

12

Clause  13,  page  8,  line  41,  at end insert—

“(7)    

Before making any such regulations the Secretary of State shall consult children

who have experience of adoption functions, adopters and such persons as he

considers appropriate.”

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment aims to ensure that adequate consultation takes place on the regulations prior to

their implementation.

Public Bill Committee: 30 June 2015                     

6

Education and Adoption Bill, continued

Steve McCabe

Kevin Brennan

Graham Jones

Bill Esterson

13

Clause  13,  page  8,  line  41,  at end insert—

“( )    

Where a direction under subsection (1) specifies that the functions are to be

carried out by more than one agency, the specified bodies offered an opportunity

to participate must include at least one voluntary organisation acting as an

adoption society as defined by the Adoption Act 1976.”

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment aims to ensure that smaller voluntary adoption agencies, specialising in finding

families for harder-to-place children, are not excluded from or by the new arrangements.

Kevin Brennan

Steve McCabe

Graham Jones

14

Clause  2,  page  2,  line  9,  after “period of compliance” insert “, which shall not be

less than 15 working days,”

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment sets a minimum period—15 working days—within which the governing body must

respond to a warning notice before the schools becomes eligible for intervention.

Kevin Brennan

Steve McCabe

Graham Jones

15

Clause  2,  page  2,  line  19,  at end insert—

“(ba)    

in subsection (4) for paragraph (b) substitute—

“(b)    

the reasonable action which they require the governing

body to take in order to remedy those matters within the

compliance period””

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment ensures that any actions which the governing body is required to take can

reasonably be undertaken within the compliance period.

Kevin Brennan

Steve McCabe

Graham Jones

16

Clause  2,  page  2,  line  28,  after “warning notice” insert “, except a warning notice

give under s.60A,”

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment clarifies that a local authority may give a warning notice under section 60A

(teachers’ pay and conditions warming notice), to be inserted by this Bill, even though the

Secretary of State has given one.

Public Bill Committee: 30 June 2015                     

7

Education and Adoption Bill, continued

Kevin Brennan

Steve McCabe

Graham Jones

18

Clause  2,  page  2,  leave out lines 30 to 34 and insert—

“(4B)    

If the local authority informs the Secretary of State that the local authority has

given a warning notice to the governing body of a maintained school, then the

Secretary of State may not give a warning notice to the governing body.”

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment would ensure that a governing body could not have two different warning notices

in quick succession.

Kevin Brennan

Steve McCabe

Graham Jones

17

Clause  2,  page  2,  line  31,  after “warning notice” insert “, except a warning notice

give under s.60A,”

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment would enable a local authority warning notice under section 60A to remain in

force even though the Secretary of State has given one.

Kevin Brennan

Steve McCabe

Graham Jones

19

Clause  2,  page  2,  line  46,  at end insert—

“(2A)    

Any power exercised under this section by the Secretary of State must be done by  

Order.”

Member’s explanatory statement

Clause 2 removes the mechanism for governing body appeal to Ofsted. This amendment requires

the Secretary of State to exercise any power under the amended section 60A by Order contained

in a statutory instrument under section 181(1) of the Education and Inspections Act 2006.

Kevin Brennan

Steve McCabe

Graham Jones

20

Clause  2,  page  3,  leave out lines 8 and 9

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment restores section 69A of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 which allows the

Secretary of State to require a local authority to issue a warning notice.

Kevin Brennan

Steve McCabe

Graham Jones

21

Clause  2,  page  3,  leave out line 10

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment restores the definition of “working day” to section 60.