Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Bill

I thank the Minister for her reply and welcome her reassurances on the greater integration of the services—including the health services, as the noble Baroness, Lady Howe, has set out—and the importance of involving parents. I also welcome her acceptance of Amendment 281 and share her relief that it is not Amendment 2,081. This would have been a rather longer Session had it been so. I also thank the noble Lord, Lord Elton, for his words—the "golden chain" of parenting is a wonderful concept—and for raising his concerns about the role of adults and children. There was a sort of subtext to the first amendment suggesting that, if parents and children were all within the context of a children’s centre, it might be easier for both adults and children to develop proper relationships that they were comfortable and confident with in an appropriate surrounding. I also thank the noble Lord, Lord De Mauley, for his support for additional health visitors. I am slightly concerned because I understand that the Conservatives have plans to pay for extra health visitors by cutting outreach workers in children’s centres. Outreach workers play a vital role in this and we would like to see additional health visitors without the cuts there. I thank all those who have contributed to this debate and I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment 280 withdrawn.