Secretary of State for Children, Ed Balls, said helping the most vulnerable was a priority.

BBC: 4500 calls are made to Childline every day

Meanwhile, more children die of choking on balloons, balls, marbles and small toy accessories than anything else.

FORBES: The Most Dangerous Toys

Thousands of tiny children pedal about on unicycles and juggle balls in perfect synchronicity.

BBC: On holiday in North Korea

Between 1990 and 2005, the CPSC reported 69 balloon-related choking deaths of children under 15, with another 97 coming from marbles, balls and small toy parts.

FORBES: Toying With China

In May, Court of Appeal judges said her dismissal by then children's secretary Ed Balls and her employers, Haringey Council, was "procedurally unfair".

BBC: Shoesmith sacking: Government and council seek appeal

The government seems to realise the difficulties: Ed Balls, the children's secretary, poured cold water on the idea of criminal prosecutions for parents, although the possibility of kicking children out if deception is uncovered was left open.

ECONOMIST: Ministers want to make the great schools game harder to play

Purity balls are one of the newest ways that Christians are trying to keep their children chaste and free of sexually-transmitted diseases.

ECONOMIST: Staving off the evils of sex before marriage

For lesser appointments the Committees want an "effective veto" and an assurance that ministers will not blithely ignore a thumbs down from a committee, as Ed Balls did when, as Children's Secretary he went ahead with the appointment of Maggie Atkinson as Children's Commissioner despite an attempted veto by his select committee.

BBC: Committees seek power over key hiring and firings

Ms Shoesmith learned of her sacking in December 2008 in a live televised press conference by the then Children's Secretary Balls.

BBC: Baby Peter boss Sharon Shoesmith 'does not do blame'