§ Mr. Deakinsasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many girls under the age of 16 years became pregnant in the latest year for which figures are available; and what action his Department is taking to reduce this number.
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§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeThe best estimate that I now have are that in England and Wales in 1979, the latest year for which this calculation has been done, some 8,100 girls under the age of 16 became pregnant. This includes the proportion of births and abortions to girls aged 16 which were likely to be the result of conceptions occurring before the sixteenth birthday.
Last year we issued revised guidance to health authorities on the provision of contraceptive advice to children under 16 which emphasised the desirability of making separate informal arrangments at family planning clinics for young people. We also stressed the importance of parental responsibility in these matters.