The vaccine, which protects against the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) that causes 70 per cent of cervical cancers, will be available in Scottish schools from 1 September.  

The programme of immunisation will be for girls in secondary two, but will also be offered to girls in secondary 5 and 6 and those who have already left school as part of a three year ‘catch-up’ campaign for girls aged 13-17, which will see over 180,000 girls in Scotland offered the HPV vaccine. 

Robison said the immunisation programme was one of the “biggest and most complex” ever undertaken in Scotland and has the potential to deliver “tremendous health benefits for future generations of young women.” 

She continued: 

"That's why we've accepted the recommendations of the Joint Committee of Vaccination and Immunisation and are implementing the routine immunisation programme alongside a catch-up campaign for older girls. 

"We're also acting quickly - a year ahead of the rest of the UK - to begin the catch-up process, ensuring that as many young women as possible receive the protection this vaccine can offer."

NHS boards across Scotland will receive an extra £1.5 million in 2008-09 to help implement the programme.

Theresa Fyffe, director, RCN Scotland, said that while RCN Scotland welcomes the HPV programme, it questions whether the Government has allocated sufficient resources to Health boards to roll out the programme and whether there are enough school nurses to carry it out.

She said: “Education and training is required for the school nurse workforce about HPV itself. It’s not only a question of administering a jab: school nurses are trained to deal with young people and will be able to answer their queries in an appropriate and informed way. 

“At a time when the school nursing workforce faces an uncertain future as a result of proposed changes under the Review of Nursing in the Community, we would question whether the Government can deliver this programme in an effective and timely manner for the young women of Scotland.”