What his most recent assessment is of progress in the establishment of Sure Start children's centres.

There were 3,018 Sure Start children's centres designated by the end of April, offering access to services to almost 2.4 million children under five and their families. We are on track to reach the Government's target of 3,500 centres by March 2010, one for every community.

I welcome my right hon. Friend to her new position and invite her to visit one of the six excellent children's centres in my constituency, which provide a wonderful range of activities for children and support for families and mothers, and which have been shown to have improved the development of young children thanks to the work of our excellent former Labour county council.

What assurances can my right hon. Friend give me about the future sustainability of those centres, and that phase 3 will go ahead, in light of the fact that a new administration has been elected that does not have the same commitment to the wonderful children's centres that have done so much to help our children?

The Derbyshire experience so far shows an excellent record, as my hon. Friend says. Young children are achieving good levels of development, and there has been considerable progress—above the national average—on narrowing the gap between the lowest-achieving and the rest. Funding from the Department is in place not only for the existing centres but to complete the roll-out of the further nine in Derbyshire by March 2010. I have absolutely no reason to believe that that will not happen. The Sure Start funding is ring-fenced, and the Government will watch closely. Should the local authority decide to follow the Opposition's pleas and cut Sure Start, it can be sure that it will face opposition from both the Government and, I am sure, local parents.

Sure Start centres will each, I believe, have a health visitor based at them in future. That is welcome, but does the Minister accept that the universal health visitor service, which provides absolutely vital assessment and support to families throughout the country, has been undermined by this Labour Government? The Minister—a new, fresh, Minister in a fresh team—can announce today that they will commit themselves to the universal health visitor scheme that this country had, and to which its people wish to return.

I say to the hon. Gentleman that £1 billion is being invested directly into support services in children's centres, which his party will not match. The national health service is funding Sure Start children's services and maternity services, which his party will not match. We see in Sure Start children's centres work by Jobcentre Plus on employment, training and skills for parents, which his party will not match. I can also say to him, having just arrived in the Department after being a Minister in the Department of Health, that discussions between both Departments about expanding and developing the role of health visitors are under way. His party would not answer the plea that he makes to me.

When my right hon. Friend has been to Amber Valley and visited the Sure Start centre there, will she continue to Creswell and Langwith? There, she will see two more Sure Start success stories. We have got not only health visitors but national health service dentists in both places. We want to ensure that that is replicated throughout the country, so let's keep out the Tories with their cuts.

As my hon. Friend rightly points out, Sure Start children's centres give children the best start in life in education and health. The Government have invested massively in those services, and all would be put in jeopardy by the policies that the Conservative party espouses. It wishes to make more than £200 million of cuts to Sure Start centres. I am delighted to accept the offer to visit my hon. Friend's Sure Start centres. When parents understand how damaged their children's education would be by the Conservative party, they will be clear that Sure Start centres are safe in the Government's hands.