The national average is 82 per cent, up one per cent on the previous year. Among the most impressive increases were in London where 89 per cent of 16- and 17- year-olds are now involved in education and training, a leap of four per cent.

The South West is one of four regions where involvement in education and training is below the national average. The others are: Yorkshire and the Humber; the East Midlands; and the North West.

Anne Longfield, chief executive of the charity 4Children, said the South West's rurality and pockets of social deprivation could be the root of its poor performance. She is optimistic that future figures will improve in all regions.

"What we have seen over the past year is much more of a focus on prioritising Neet reduction through partnership working and better targeting by schools," she said.

While the regional breakdown for 2006 has only just been published, the government also revealed last week the proportion of 16- to 18-year-olds classified as Neet decreased from 10.4 per cent at the end of 2006 to 9.4 percent at the end of 2007.

This is the second year in succession that the number of Neet young people in England has fallen. However, the Liberal Democrats argued that progress is too slow, noting that the Neet figure is still higher than 1997's rate of 8.9 per cent.

A Department for Children, Schools and Families' spokeswoman said: "We launched our Neet strategy last November and these improvements have not yet registered in the figures."

- www.cypnow.co.uk/doc.