'Scrap baby bonds to fund centres'

As the Labour Government and Conservative opposition traded political punches last week on education policy, Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy joined the fray with an attack on so-called 'baby bonds', the Government's plan to give every newborn child £250. Mr Kennedy argued that the proposal, which also entails top-ups from the Government when the child is five, 11 and 16, with extra amounts for the most deprived, meant that vitally needed cash would be locked up for 18 years when it could be used to provide integrated services.