New figures show a drop in the number of teenage pregnancies.

In 1999 the number of conceptions among under 16s fell by 7 per cent and by 4 per cent drop among under 18s in 1999

Responding to the figures, the Minister for Public Health, Yvette Cooper said: "These figures are encouraging and suggest that we may be starting to see a reduction in teenage pregnancies.

"However, teenage pregnancies remain far too high. That is why we have begun a nationwide strategy to tackle teenage pregnancies and why we are introducing further measures this year to bring teenage pregnancy rates down.

"It is vital that the strategy is as much about teenage boys as well as teenage girls - after all, they are half the problem and half the solution too."

The Government in 1999 aimed to halve the rate of conceptions among under 18s in England by 2010, and set a firmly established downward trend in the conception rates for under 16s by 2010;

Ministers will shortly be launching a new initiative to involve young people themselves in new campaigns and advice services to prevent teenage pregnancies.

Among projects cited as a successful are a project for young people in care in Croydon, Surrey, where local teenagers met once a week for 15 weeks to share their views on teenage pregnancy prevention and support.

They produced a report which social services and health managers will have to respond to in their development of a local teenage pregnancy strategy.

The Government in 1999 aimed to halve the rate of conceptions among under 18s in England by 2010, and set a firmly established downward trend in the conception rates for under 16s by 2010.