By Heidi Blake Published: 7:30AM GMT twenty-five February 2010
The North East had the top under-18 source rate at 49 per 1,000 girls elderly fifteen to seventeen Photo: PA Tony Blair spoken in 1999 that the series of under-18s descending profound would be halved by this year, but total expelled yesterday show Britain still has the top teenage conceiving physically rate in Europe.
Around 40,000 underage girls became profound in 2008 a medium decrease from the 1998 figure of 46,000, that Mr Blair called shameful.
Small condoms for twelve year-olds Teenage pregnancies: a genuine sex liaison Teenage pregnancies climb for initial time in 7 years Teen conceiving physically total approaching to climb Teenage pregnancies on the climb notwithstanding �286m debate Trendy counterpart led sex preparation lessons have no strokeMinisters were yesterday confronting questions over how the multi-million bruise ten-year plan had unsuccessful to broach critical results. Ed Balls, the schools secretary, certified that he was "worried" by the situation.
"It was a unequivocally desirous aim it was 50 per cent fall. I think it was right to set an desirous aim and it is going to be unequivocally tough to have that volume of fall," he said.
He claimed that measures to plunge into teenager pregnancies had been to a little extent successful, but added: "It is not enough. I"m still disturbed about it and there is a lot some-more to do."
The North East of England had the top teenage conceiving physically rate, with 49 conceptions for each 1,000 girls elderly fifteen to 17. The East had the lowest rate, with only 31.4 pregnancies per 1000.
The total describe to 2008, with this years report not due to be expelled until 2012.
Ministers yesterday launched a new "action plan" to plunge into the steadfastly high rates of teenage conceiving physically in the UK, that includes one-to-one passionate health and contraception consultations for 16-year-olds.
But critics pronounced the new measures were repeating the mistakes of the past. Norman Wells, senior manager of the Family Education Trust, that researches the means of family breakdown, said: "The government"s teenage conceiving physically plan has been a mess for immature people. With all the importance on sex preparation and handing out contraceptives to schoolchildren underneath the age of consent, it is giving them the immature light to examination sexually.
"The enlargement of trusted preventive services for immature people underneath the age of sixteen is creation it some-more formidable for girls to conflict the advances of their boyfriends and heading a little to turn intimately active when they competence not differently have finished so."
The Conservatives have additionally criticised the strategy, but became bogged down in a row over their total progressing this month when they claimed that 54 per cent of teenage girls fell profound prior to their 18th birthday in a little deprived areas. The scold series was 5.4 per cent.
Ed Balls was additionally indicted yesterday of permitting legislation written to force conviction schools to learn sex preparation to be watered down.
An legislative addition to the Children, Schools and Families Bill, upheld last night, will meant that eremite educators will be authorised to learn personal, social, health and mercantile lessons "in a approach that reflects the school"s eremite character".
Keith Porteous Wood, senior manager executive of the National Secular Society, said: "The Government have once some-more bent to vigour from the Catholic Church, betraying the young kids in conviction schools who have a right to design and offset sex education. This timidity will corrupt most lives."
