31Form of consent

31 Form of consent (1) Subject to this section, a consent to an adoption shall be in the prescribed form and shall be: (a) expressed as consent of the person giving consent to the adoption of the child by the person or persons who the Minister is satisfied is suitable to adopt the child; (b) signed by the person giving the consent; and (c) witnessed as prescribed. (2) Notwithstanding subsection (1)(a), where: (a) an applicant, whether or not one of joint applicants, for an order for the adoption of a child is a relative of the child, the spouse of a parent of the child or the spouse of a relative of the child; or (b) the Minister, as guardian, is required to consent to the adoption of the child, consent to the adoption may be expressed as a consent to the adoption of the child by a particular person or, where joint applicants, particular persons. (3) Where a consent of the kind referred to in subsection (1) has been relied on in an application for an order for adoption, but the application has been refused by the Court, the consent remains in operation for the purposes of a further application for the adoption of the child unless the Court directs otherwise.