§ Mrs. BallardTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to promote parenthood lessons in schools as part of his programme to meet the "The Health of the Nation" target for teenage pregnancies. [6825]
§ Ms Estelle MorrisAs stated in the White Paper "Excellence in Schools" published yesterday, the Government intends that all secondary schools should have a role in teaching young people the skills of good parenting, both formally and through contact with good adult role models. Schools need to impress upon young people at an early stage the emotional, financial, social and practical responsibilities which parenthood entails and the lifelong nature of the commitment it brings. The Department will be considering with teachers and others how this might best be achieved and what parenting education programmes should contain.