asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if his consultations with the Department of Education and Science about more counselling and health education for young people will cover the need for appropriate sex education programmes in all maintained schools.

Yes. We see sex education for young people as important in tackling such problems as those identified in the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists research on late abortions. The provision of sex education in schools is a matter for local education authorities and individual schools.