John Reid's decision to bar paedophiles from such hostels comes after a newspaper found 60 had been housed in government-approved sites near schools.

He also hinted he would consider calls for parents to get more information about sex offenders in their area.

Minister Gerry Sutcliffe is being sent to the US to see how the system - dubbed Megan's law - works there.

In a statement, Mr Reid said his "starting point" was "that information should no longer remain the exclusive preserve of officialdom".

"I'm sending my minister to America to discover the best way of ensuring the controlled release of information to the public," he said.

The News of the World newspaper has led the campaign for a UK version of Megan's law - what it calls Sarah's law - since the murder of eight-year-old schoolgirl Sarah Payne in 2000.

Her mother, Sara Payne, said: "After six years of campaigning this is a tremendous breakthrough. I'm delighted."

Restricted admission

There are about 100 probation hostels in England and Wales where ex-offenders live after their release from prison.

They have increasingly been used for high-risk offenders so they can be monitored and supervised more effectively.

However, in March it was revealed that a number of paedophiles were living in hostels close to schools.

The home secretary has now decided this must stop and has instructed the National Offender Management Service to implement "restricted admission" at 11 such hostels.

"I have instructed that no child sex offenders reside in accommodation directly adjacent to schools," Mr Reid said.

The 11 hostels where child sex offenders will not be allowed to reside are: Haworth House, Blackburn; Norfolk Park Hostel, Sheffield; Kirk Lodge, Leicester; St Johns, Leeds; Bunbury House, Ellesmere Port; Elliot House, Birmingham; Camden House, London; McIntyre House, Nuneaton; Wordsworth House, Lincoln; Staitheford House, Stafford; and Luton House, Luton.

(BBC)