27.— (1) A person whose consent to the making of an adoption order is necessary—

(a) shall be informed before he or she gives the consent or as soon as may be after giving it—

(i) that the consent may be withdrawn at any time before the making of the order,

(ii) that he or she is entitled to be heard on the application for the order, and

(iii) of the discretion of the High Court under subsection (3) of section 31, despite a subsequent withdrawal of the consent, to authorise the Authority to dispense with the consent in accordance with that section,

and

(b) shall be asked, on or after giving the consent, to state in writing whether he or she wishes—

(i) to be informed of the date on which the Authority, if the person wishes to be heard, will hear the person or his or her counsel or solicitor on the application for the order, or

(ii) otherwise to be consulted again in relation to the application for the order.

(2) If a person whose consent to the making of an adoption order is necessary states that he or she does not wish to be—

(a) informed as set out in subsection (1)(b)(i), or

(b) otherwise to be consulted again as set out in subsection (1)(b)(ii),

it is not necessary so to inform or consult him or her.

(3) If the person does not so state, he or she shall be both informed and consulted in accordance with subparagraphs (i) and (ii) of subsection (1)(b), unless he or she cannot be found, in which case the Authority is required to deal with the application as if the person had not given the consent.