Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of schemes that seek to put couples who have been unsuccessful in fertility treatment in touch with local adoption services; and whether the Government supports such schemes.

The Department for Education does not currently fund schemes that seek to put couples who have been unsuccessful in fertility treatment in touch with local adoption services. However, the department funds the First4Adoption service which is the national information service for adoption in England. Last year the department and First4Adoption worked closely together to develop promotional resources to reach out to anyone interested in adoption. These resources are available, free of charge, to be used by all local agencies and regional consortia in their work to promote adoption. The department also works with the British Association for Adoption and Fostering on National Adoption Week, taking place on 19-26 October 2015.