I am sure that that is the case. I think that it was estimated that voluntary adoption agencies subbed the Government to the tune of £3.5 million with their work, which would otherwise have to be done by public bodies. Why must fees be attached to a process that ensures that more children are taken into stable adoptive homes, thereby saving local authorities an enormous amount of money in care homes and social services departments? What sort of fees are we thinking about, and has an estimate been made of the cost, in particular to voluntary adoption agencies?

What mechanism is there for reviewing the fees, how often will they be put up and will they ever be reduced? Will they reflect just the cost of running the system, or will they cover more than overheads? What happens if the cost of running the register turns out to be less than anticipated and the fees more than outweigh the costs? Would a refund be available to the agencies and would fees in the subsequent year be reduced? We need the answers to those questions and a bit more detail about the fees.