During a Commons debate on the National Service Framework for Children, Young People and Maternity Services, minister for community care Stephen Ladyman said that NHS funding increases would ensure that child health would improve.
But he added: "If anyone says we should ringfence part of the money exclusively for children, I would say that they have missed the point of the National Service Framework.
"The framework is about mainstreaming children's services so that primary care trusts develop those services, not as an afterthought or add-on, but as a key priority in the commissioning of services."
He also said inspectors would require agencies to demonstrate progress towards service levels laid out in the National Service Framework. "That is why we can be confident about delivery."
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