summary jurisdiction, for the hearing and determination A.D. 1926. (3) For the purpose of any application under this 5 Act and subject to any rules under this section the Court shall appoint some person or body to act as guardian ad litem of the infant upon the hearing of the application with the duty of safeguarding the interests of the infant before the Court, and where the body so 10 appointed is a local authority the Court may authorise the authority to incur any necessary expenditure, and may direct out of which fund or rate such expenditure is to be defrayed, but nothing in this section shall be deemed to authorise the Court to appoint a local 15 authority to act as guardian ad litem of an infant except with the consent of that authority. 9. It shall not be lawful for any adopter or for any Restriction parent or parents except with the sanction of the Court on payto receive any payment or other reward in consideration ments or to adoption. 20 of the adoption of any infant under this Act or for any person to make or give or agree to make or give to any adopter or to any parent or parents any such payment or reward. de facto 10. Where at the date of the commencement of this Provisions 25 Act any infant is in the custody of, and being brought as to up, maintained, and educated by any person or two existing spouses jointly as his, her, or their own child under any adoptions. de facto adoption, and has for a period of not less than two years before such commencement been in such 30 custody, and been so brought up, maintained and educated, the Court may, upon the application of such person or spouses, and notwithstanding that the applicant is a male and the infant a female make an adoption order authorising him, her, or them to adopt the infant without 35 requiring the consent of any parent or guardian of the infant to be obtained, upon being satisfied that in all the circumstances of the case it is just and equitable and for the welfare of the infant that no such consent should be required and that an adoption order should 40 be made. 11. (1) The Registrar-General shall establish and Adopted maintain at the General Registry Office a register to be children called the Adopted Children Register, in which shall be register. A.D. 1926. made such entries as may be directed to be made therein by adoption orders, but no other entries. (2) Every adoption order shall contain a direction to the Registrar-General to make in the Adopted Children Register an entry recording the adoption in the form 5 set out in the Schedule hereto. (3) If upon any application for an adoption order there is proved to the satisfaction of the Court―. (a) the date of the birth of the infant; and (b) the identity of the infant with a child to which 10 the adoption order shall contain a further direction to (4) The prescribed officer of the Court shall cause 20 (5) A certified copy of any entry in the Adopted Children Register if purporting to be sealed or stamped 30 with the seal of the General Register Office shall, without any further or other proof of such entry (a) where the entry does not contain any record (b) where the entry contains a record of the date (6) The Registrar-General shall cause an index of A.D. 1926. the Adopted Children Register to be made and kept in the General Register Office, and every person shall be entitled to search such index and to have a certified 5 copy of any entry in the Adopted Children Register in all respects upon, and subject to the same terms, conditions and regulations as to payment of fees and otherwise as are applicable under the Births and Deaths Registration Acts, 1836 to 1901, in respect of searches in 10 other indexes kept in the General Register Office, and in respect of the supply from such office of certified copies of entries in the certified copies of the Registers of Births, Deaths and Marriages. (7) The Registrar-General shall, in addition to the 15 Adopted Children Register and the index thereof, keep such other registers and books, and make such entries therein as may be necessary, to record and make traceable the connexion between any entry in the register of births which has been marked Adopted" pursuant 20 to this Act and any corresponding entry in the Adopted Children Register, but such last-mentioned registers and books shall not be nor shall any index thereof be open to public inspection or search, nor, except under an order of a court of competent jurisdiction, shall the 25 Registrar-General furnish any person with any information contained in or with any copy or extract from any such registers or books. (8) Regulations made by the Registrar-General under the Births and Deaths Registration Acts, 1836 to 1901, 30 may make provision as to the duties to be performed by Superintendent Registrars and Registrars of Births and Deaths in the execution of this Act. 35 12. (1) This Act may be cited as the Adoption of Short title, Children Act, 1926. (2) This Act shall come into operation on the first day of August nineteen hundred and twenty-six. (3) This Act shall not apply to Scotland or Northern Ireland: t commencement and extent. |