Health Secretary Alan Milburn has pledged a "full scale inspection" of city social services after the death of four-year-old John Smith.

Mr Milburn said the review would be carried out by the Social Services Inspectorate next April.

Describing John's death as "dreadful" and "tragic", he also promised the SSI would have a "close watching brief" to make sure the conclusions of Alyson Leslie's independent review into the tragedy were fully implemented.

The report said John would be alive today but for a catalogue of errors, misjudgements and failings by social services.

She said the parents he had been placed with for adoption were unsuitable.

Simon and Michelle McWilliam, who were in the process of adopting John, were each jailed for eight years after being found guilty of child cruelty earlier this month.

Mr Milburn was pressed on the case by Brighton Pavilion MP David Lepper during a Commons debate on the Adoption and Children Bill last night.

Mr Milburn said he could give the MP a "number of assurances" in the wake of the youngster's death.

He told MPs: "First, the social services inspectorate will have a close watching brief to ensure that the conclusions of the independent review that have been published are fully implemented by the local authority.

"Secondly, there will be a full scale SSI inspection of the Brighton and Hove local authority, which I expect to begin in April next year.

"More broadly, we must ensure quality and high standards in every part of the adoption process, not just in assessment.

"Last year, we published for consultation - and are beginning to implement from this year - new national standards that will apply to the adoption process in all parts of the country.

He said the standards were "long overdue" and he hoped they would help to prevent another John Smith tragedy.

Ms Leslie made a string of recommendations in her inquiry report, many of which have already been implemented.

Her report praised all agencies, including Brighton and Hove and West Sussex area child protection committees, for their "unprecedented" response.

Brighton and Hove social care and health directorate, the target for most of the recommendations, received special mention for its "frank acknowledgement" of problems and the commitment shown to addressing them.

Investigations into adopters have been tightened, extra training has been introduced for both investigators and adoption panels and there is closer scrutiny of applicants' psychological history.

Councillor Jean Spray, executive councillor for social care and health in Brighton and Hove, said the inspection was scheduled and was not a surprise.