Dr. Geoffrey Shannon:

Mr. Burns was referencing the fact that within the UK there was a system whereby a child was placed for adoption within a period of six weeks. I do not think anybody at this table would be in disagreement that the child's situation cannot be put on hold while the system deals with his or her circumstances. What we need is a robust case management system so that every case that comes into the system is dealt with within a reasonable period. I very much support Mr. Burns' view that a process as important as adoption cannot be dealt with in such a tight timescale. However, more generally, we need to ensure that children do not get lost in the system and that when cases involving families come before the courts, there is a requirement that they are dealt with as expeditiously as possible.