At what age can an adopted person receive information about their adoption?

Currently an adopted person can obtain a copy of their original birth certificate at the age of 18 years if their adoption was in England, Wales or Northern Ireland. In Scotland the minimum age for getting copies of birth certificates is 16 years. However, some adoption agencies will share information on the adoption file with adoptees who are younger than this. The amount of information on an adoption file varies considerably with some files having very comprehensive accounts of the adoption but others the information is minimal.