§ Mrs. Iris RobinsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what plans he has for youth development programmes to reduce teenage pregnancy rates; [175158]
(2) if he will introduce a young people's development programme similar to that launched by the Departments of Health and Education and Skills. [175170]
§ Angela SmithA multi-agency Implementation Group is overseeing and driving forward the 21 actions set out in the Teenage Pregnancy and Parenthood Strategy and Action Plan. One of the action points in the plan is the further development, particularly in areas of socio-economic deprivation and rural areas, of community based teenage personal development programmes that incorporate sexual health issues and risk taking behaviour. These programmes are being taken forward by Health and Social Services Boards and Trusts in partnership with the voluntary and community organisations and are tailored to the needs of our population.
The young people's development programme in England is a three year pilot exercise which is the subject of on-going evaluation. The findings are unlikely to be available until April 2007. Officials here will be liaising with colleagues in the Department of Health to monitor developments.
§ Mrs. Iris RobinsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many females aged between 11 and 19 years were fitted with contraceptive implants in Northern Ireland in each year since 2000, broken down by age. [175224]
§ Angela SmithThe information requested is not available.