§ Mr. WrayTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions have taken place with(a) religious groups and (b) youth organisations to agree a strategy to reduce teenage pregnancies. [56267]
§ Yvette CooperI have been asked to reply.
272W Development of the teenage pregnancy strategy was informed by consultation with individuals and organisations representing both young people and a wide range of faiths.
To ensure ongoing dialogue with faith groups during the implementation of the strategy, the teenage pregnancy unit has established an inter-faith forum involving individuals and organisations from diverse faiths. The forum meets twice a year.
The teenage pregnancy unit has established a national young people's forum to advise on implementation, which meets three times a year, and undertakes targeted consultations with specific groups of young people. The unit also works closely with voluntary sector organisations representing the interests of young people through its forum for non-statutory organisations.
Local teenage pregnancy strategies, developed for each top tier local authority area, are also actively involving young people and the wider community. Guidance on involving young people was published and distributed to local teenage pregnancy co-ordinators in 2001. A resource is currently being developed for local teenage pregnancy co-ordinators on working with those from different faiths and cultures, which will be published in the autumn.
§ Mr. WrayTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been done since 1997 to reduce the number of teenage pregnancies in the UK. [56265]
§ Yvette CooperI have been asked to reply.
After research by the social exclusion unit into the complex causes of teenage pregnancy, a comprehensive, cross-Government teenage pregnancy strategy was launched in 1999. This sets a target to halve the under-18s conception rate by 2010 and aims to increase the participation of teenage parents in education and training to reduce their long term risk of social exclusion.
The strategy is informed by the best available evidence of what works. This encompasses a multi-faceted approach to help young people resist peer pressure to have early sex, improve sex and relationship education, increase access to effective contraception and sexual health services and support parents in talking to their children about sex and relationship issues.
273W The teenage pregnancy unit has been established to implement the strategy. Every top tier local authority area has a local teenage pregnancy strategy and reduction target to underpin the delivery of the national strategy. Local strategies are managed by a teenage pregnancy partnership board, with a lead teenage pregnancy co-ordinator and representation from the local authority, primary care trusts and other key local partners, including the voluntary sector. Over £60 million has been invested across Government during the first three years of implementation. Early signs of the strategy's impact are encouraging with figures for 2000 showing a 6.2 per cent. reduction from 1998 in both under-18 and under-16 conception rates.
Almost all of the strategy's action points have now been implemented but further work needs to be done to ensure that early progress is sustained. The strategy's independent advisory group has published its first annual report setting out 49 recommendations for further action to underpin implementation of the strategy and delivery of the targets. The Government will publish their response to this report in the summer.
Action on teenage pregnancy relating to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is a matter for the devolved Administrations.