Pregnancy rates among under-18s in England and Wales have risen. The under-18 conception rate increased from 40.9 per 1,000 women aged 15 to 17 in 2006 to 41.9 in 2007, according to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The Government had pledged to halve teenage pregnancy rates among girls under 18 by half by next year but is widely expected to miss that target. The government has to now prepare to dish out more free council houses and feed more state benefit babies.