Part of Suppmentary Estimates 2010-11 — Department for Education – in the House of Commons at 2:57 pm on 2 March 2011.
The theory sounds fine, but the practice is different. I am trying not to be party political, but let us say that a council decides it is going to cut the Sure Start budget by about half and close most of its centres. That cannot be dressed up as back-office services, and for many children, the essential services with which they are currently provided will not be there. Should that be a matter for the Government to take an interest in?