Girls as young as 12 will be routinely administered with a vaccine that protects against a sexually-transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer, the government has said.

The Department of Health (DoH) claims the introduction of a national immunisation programme against human papilloma viruses (HPV) could cut cases of cervical cancer, the second most common cause of cancer among women, by 70 per cent.

Today's announcement came after the government agreed "in principle" with the recommendations of its own joint committee on vaccination and immunisation (JCVI).

But it is likely to prove controversial, with church leaders warning that the administering of a vaccine for a sexually-transmitted virus could send the wrong message to girls.

The "maximum benefit" of HPV vaccines can only be felt if it is administered before the onset of sexual activity.

Funding for the planned immunisation programme will be discussed at the next comprehensive spending review and could be introduced in the autumn term of the 2008 school year.

HPV is the cause of 99 per cent of invasive cervical cancer cases, which totalled 2,221 in England three years ago.

A further 200,000 women were identified as showing signs of pre-cancerous change in the same year through smear tests.

"The benefits of introducing this vaccine will be felt by women and their families for generations to come," public health minister Caroline Flint said.

"This vaccine will prevent many women from catching the HPV virus in the first place, potentially saving hundreds of lives."

She added: "A significant amount of planning is required before we can introduce the immunisation into our programme. We are still working on the details and logistics, and will work closely with the NHS to ensure the vaccination can be delivered effectively. However, we are hoping that girls will start being vaccinated from as early as 2008."

Commenting on the decision, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) said the vaccination programme represented an "extremely important development in women's health".

"The recommendations by the joint committee on vaccination immunisation are very positive regarding the provision of the vaccines on the NHS," said Professor Henry Kitchener, RCOG's lead on the issue.

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