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The government has pledged to renew its efforts to cut the teenage pregnancy rate and double the number of young mothers in education and work.

Launching the initiative, health minister Hazel Blears said children born to teenage mothers were at high risk of growing up in poverty and poor health.

"As well as maintaining the downward trend in teenage conceptions, we are committed to preventing teenage pregnancy closing off opportunities and passing down health and social disadvantages from one generation to the next," she added.

The new phase of the strategy on teenage pregnancy sets out ambitious targets to halve the rate of conceptions in under-18s by 2010, with an interim reduction of 15 per cent by 2004, and establish a "downward trend" in under-16s by 2010. Recent figures show conception rates for under-18s dropping by 4 per cent between 2000 and 2001.

The government has also committed itself over the next eight years to increase to 60 per cent the proportion of mothers aged 16-19 in education, training or work, from the current 29 per cent.

The action plan has been launched in response to recommendations made in last December's report from the Independent Advisory Group on Teenage Pregnancy.

Gail Teasdale, teenage pregnancy and Sure Start Plus co-ordinator at Kingston-Upon-Hull Council's social inclusion unit, said the government action plan was ambitious but could be achieved. Hull has the fourth highest rate of teenage pregnancy in western Europe with 73 conceptions per 1,000 of children under 18 according to latest figures.

Teasdale particularly welcomed the initiative to address employment and education issues for teenage mothers. In Hull, teenage mothers are allocated a dedicated adviser who handles housing, benefits, health care needs and training and work options.

"It's about raising their quality of life and reducing the numbers stuck on benefits and getting them out of that poverty trap,"she explained.

The action plan also includes measures to improve sex and relationship education, availability of sexual advice services, child care options and ensure supported housing is available for all lone parents under 18 by the end of 2003.