Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will make it her policy to support the provision of birth registration in children's centres and family hubs.

Engaging disadvantaged families early is important. It is, however, for local councils to establish how best to do this. Making children’s centres or family hubs one of the places where parents can register the birth of their child is one approach, and local councils are free to do this. It may not be the best solution everywhere however, and we agree with the conclusions of the 2013 Education Select Committee that this is not something that central government should dictate.