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NHS Staffing

In just a moment. Will the Minister give a commitment that the money that the Government have promised to maternity services in the NHS will be brought forward? Without that money, the guarantees in the Maternity Matters strategy cannot be effective and new midwives and students midwives cannot start doing the job that maternity services urgently require. I obviously speak with a little knowledge—as the House knows, for some years I have been an honorary vice-president of the Royal College of Midwives, which is an office that I am very honoured to hold. The Minister will be aware that the midwifery profession also has a problem, in that a fairly high percentage of midwives are what I would call mature and may retire in the years that lie immediately ahead. That is why the staffing of maternity services and the coming forward of new midwives and students midwives into the NHS is so critical. It is unfortunate that so much emphasis is placed on targets, which take a lot of staff time, when much more should be devoted to, I would hope, successful outcomes. Perhaps my right hon. Friend the Member for East Yorkshire (Mr. Knight) would like to intervene now, although I hope he will be quick because I want to give the Minister plenty of time.