My Department collects statistics from each of the health boards in respect of inter-country adoption at the end of every quarter. The latest quarter for which information is available is the end of September 2001. The information which the Deputy has requested in relation to the waiting time to the commence ment of the home study/assessment is not collected by my Department.
Over the past three years additional funding of approximately £1.36 million or 1.73 million has been allocated to the inter-country adoption service aimed at improving the quality of service provided and also at reducing the time spent on waiting lists by couples. A standardised framework for inter-country adoption assessment is now being used in all health boards. The purpose is to streamline assessment processes so that resources are used effectively and to provide a transparent system that can be used by all of the parties. This is an ongoing process which is being monitored by the health boards and by my Department.
Table 1 outlines the numbers on the waiting list for inter-country adoption at 30 September 2001.