Appearing before the education select committee today, Zahawi was asked a number of questions relating to financial pressures on local services designed to support vulnerable children and families.
In January the Local Government Association warned that children could be left in circumstances of risk unless the government acts to plug an estimated £2bn funding gap. A separate study found that children's services are now the top financial pressure for councils.
In response to Emma Hardy, Labour MP for Kingston upon Hull, who warned that a lack of early intervention support for families is contributing to the increased number of children in care, Zahawi said: "Early intervention is important. On funding, we have got a piece of work with the Department for Housing, [Communities] and Local Government to look at funding properly, although local authorities have increased funding on children in care."
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