The Member raises a very important issue, and yesterday was an example of where I spelt out that there are many programmes that we need to do and wrap around the family and the young person. The adverse childhood experiences profiling, as I suggested in yesterday’s statement, is an important one, where we tackle the very issues that give instability to a family or to an individual. If we can tackle those issues, we know that the outcomes are much better, both morally and fiscally, for Government long term.

The issues around language acquisition are important ones. I’ve met with the language therapists and we’re looking at how we can build that into the system of making sure that we give young people the best start in life. I believe absolutely that if we make our investments in the early years, it will save us lots of money in the long term. My Cabinet colleagues are somewhat coming to my way of thinking too, and I’m very grateful for that.