essary examination and further report could make it impossible to comply with the timescales for the completion of the CPR. If the agency does not have parental responsibility for the child, and the child is too young to consent on their own behalf to a health assessment, the consent of a parent or guardian will be needed. The cooperation of parents will also be needed to obtain the fullest possible information about the health history of the child (including prenatal and neo-natal health) and family. AAR 15.4 provides that if the child is of sufficient understanding and refuses to submit to medical examinations or tests the adoption agency is not obliged to make arrangements for these. 46 Access to health information 2.56. The primary legislation that governs access to health information is the Data Protection Act 1998 (the 1998 Act). This Act and its regulations provide that an application for access to medical health records may be made to the family doctor, for example, by:  the patient  a person authorised in writing to make the application on the patient's behalf  a person having parental responsibility for the patient, where the record is held in England or Wales and the patient is a child. The latter would include an agency where it has acquired parental responsibility for the child, such as with an interim care order, care order or placement order. 2.57. The 1998 Act also provides that access shall not be given to the health record that, in the opinion of the record holder, would disclose:  information likely to cause serious harm to the physical or mental health of the patient, or of any other individual. See the Data Protection (Subject Access Modification) (Health)) Order 2000; or  information relating to or provided by an individual, other than the pat