The prime minister's review of adoption laws in England and Wales is being closely watched by ministers in Scotland.

Tony Blair has ordered an overhaul of adoption procedures following the Welsh child abuse scandal.

Mr Blair believes too many hurdles are placed before couples wanting to adopt, leaving many children needlessly in care.

Any changes brought in would not take effect in Scotland because adoption is among the areas of responsibility devolved to the Scottish Parliament.

A Scottish Executive spokesman said: "Legislation on adoption in Scotland was recently revised in the Children (Scotland) Act 1995.

"The Scottish Executive will be watching developments south of the border for any lessons that can be learned that can improve the lives of vulnerable children."

Changes introduced

The executive says it is ahead of the game and that many of the changes Mr Blair is seeking have already been implemented in Scotland.

But ministers will watch events at Westminster with interest and if anything arises which they think will improve the 1995 legislation, they will consider further revisions, the spokesman added.

The number of adoption applications in Scotland decreased during the 10 years to December 1998.

There were under 500 applications during 1998 compared to more than 800 in 1988.

Mr Blair will chair a committee of Home Secretary Jack Straw, Health Secretary Alan Milburn and Welsh Secretary Paul Murphy.

They will look into whether adoption could help resolve some of the long-term problems identified in Lost in Care - the report of the Waterhouse inquiry into child abuse in children's homes in north Wales.

Sir Ronald Waterhouse's report recommended a massive overhaul of the care system after uncovering a aedophile ring that targeted hundreds of young people in care in the 70s and 80s.

Five-year wait

It also highlighted the vulnerability of children in care.

For children over five there is an average wait of five years before adoption proceedings are completed. Even for new born babies the wait is an average of eight months.

Mr Blair is just one of the many MPs who receive letters from constituents complaining their lives are scrutinised in minute detail before they are considered as prospective parents.

Ministers are concerned that some social services departments regard adoption as "a last resort" instead of one of the first options looked at for children needing to live apart from their natural parents.

Mr Murphy said he hoped the review would be swift and thorough.

"What really matters is the children themselves and the best circumstances in which they can grow up to be decent adults," he told BBC News 24.