Childcare Bill

Briefly, in the light of the comments by the hon. Member for Basingstoke (Mrs. Miller) about local autonomy, I would welcome reassurance from my right hon. Friend the Minister that levers will be in place in future so that her Department can ensure that the money given to local authorities will not be diverted from the poorest children in the poorest areas of each local authority. I would also welcome an assurance that the Department will continue to monitor local authority spending so that it remains focused on the children who need it most.