§ 46. Mr. COVEasked the Minister of Health whether he is now in a position to give the House any information as to the proposed inquiry into the nutritional value of milk at certain schools and approved centres?
§ Mr. ELLIOTI have been asked to reply. Yes, Sir. The Milk Marketing Board for England and Wales and the Scottish Milk Marketing Board have submitted to the Secretary of State for Scotland and myself particulars of certain arrangements for conducting an inquiry into the nutritional value of milk. These arrangements have now been approved for the purpose of Exchequer contributions under Section 11 of the Milk Act, 1934, and in accordance with the provisions of that Section have been laid before Parliament and are now available to the House. The scheme is supplementary to the Milk-in-Schools Scheme, 20 and it is hoped that the information which will be collected will not only be of great value to those engaged upon nutritional research and in connection with public health and education services, but will also have an important bearing upon the problem of increasing the demand for liquid milk in this country. As will be seen from the particulars in the White Paper, the inquiry is under the supervision of a representative expert sub-committee of the Advisory Committee on Milk Publicity of the Milk Marketing Board for England and Wales and is being conducted by experienced medical officers working in conjunction with school medical officers and teachers. It is on a large scale, covering some 8,000 children and is expected to last for some 12 months.
§ Brigadier-General CLIFTON BROWNWill not my right hon. Friend, instead of having only medical officers, have on this inquiry people from the Dairy Research Department at Reading, who are knowledgable in this matter?
§ Mr. ELLIOTI think that, if my hon. and gallant Friend will read the White Paper, he will see that the various departments concerned are fully represented.