Government warned over pregnancies

Significant progress has been made over the last decade and the under-18 conception rate is at its lowest level for over 20 years, according to the Teenage Pregnancy Independent Advisory Group (TPIAG).

But the last decade has seen "missed opportunities and disappointments" and the number of girls getting pregnant in England is still "unacceptably high".

The TPIAG published its final report at the end of a 10-year remit to oversee efforts to cut the teen pregnancy rate.

The latest figures for 2008 in England showed there were 38,750 conceptions among under- 18s, half of which ended in abortions.

In 1999, Labour pledged to halve teenage pregnancy rates among under-18s in England by 2010, but that target was missed.

From a 1998 baseline, the rate of pregnancies among under 18s has fallen by 13 per cent nationally, although some regions have seen 45 per cent fewer.