Adoption and Children Act (Northern Ireland) 2022

Section 78(6)

SCHEDULE 2 Disclosure of birth records by Registrar General

1.—(1) On an application made in the prescribed manner by an adopted person—

(a) a record of whose birth is kept by the Registrar General; and

(b) who has attained the age of 18 years,

the Registrar General must give the applicant any information necessary to enable the applicant to obtain a certified copy of the record of the applicant’s birth.

(2) In sub-paragraph (1) “prescribed” means prescribed by regulations made by the Department of Finance.

2.—(1) Before giving any information to an applicant under paragraph 1, the Registrar General must inform the applicant that counselling services are available to the applicant—

(a) from an appropriate voluntary organisation, or a registered adoption society within the meaning of section 2(2) of the Adoption and Children Act 2002 or an organisation within section 144(3)(b) of that Act;

(b) if the applicant is in Northern Ireland, from any HSC trust;

(c) if the applicant is in England and Wales, at the General Register Office or from any local authority or registered adoption support agency;

(d) if the applicant is in Scotland, from any council constituted under section 2 of the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994.

(2) In sub-paragraph (1)(c), “local authority” and “registered adoption support agency” have the same meaning as in the Adoption and Children Act 2002.

(3) If the applicant chooses to receive counselling from a person or body within sub-paragraph (1), the Registrar General must send to the person or body the information to which the applicant is entitled under paragraph 1.

3.  Where an adopted person who is in Northern Ireland—

(a) applies for information under paragraph 1;

(b) applies for information under paragraph 1 of Schedule 2 to the Adoption and Children Act 2002; or

(c) is supplied with information under section 55(4)(b) of the Adoption and Children (Scotland) Act 2007,

any adoption agency must, if asked by the applicant to do so, provide counselling for the applicant.