HC Deb 12 December 1946 vol 431 c1320
22. Brigadier Mackeson

asked the Minister of Education how children in rural areas, or who are attending technical and other schools which serve a wide area, can receive free milk during the Christmas holidays.

Miss Wilkinson

The milk in schools scheme is obligatory on local education authorities in term time only, and has never operated widely in the holidays, but authorities have power to arrange, where practicable, for such children as those mentioned to drink milk at a centre or possibly some other school within reach of their homes, provided that irregular attendance does not cause waste.

Brigadier Mackeson

Will the right hon. Lady consider investigating the possibility of giving parents coupons, or some paper tokens, to exchange for milk during the holidays, because at the moment this scheme is not working fairly, and many children who really need milk are not getting it?

Miss Wilkinson

When experiments were made to see whether children would go to the schools for the milk, we found that so few of them turned up that the milk was wasted, and we had to stop it.

Brigadier Mackeson

As there is one law for the towns and another for the country, I beg to give notice that I shall raise the matter on the Adjournment.

23. Brigadier Mackeson

asked the Minister of Education if she will give an estimate, expressed in percentage, of the number of schoolchildren in Kent who received free milk during last summer holidays, and of the percentage who will receive free milk during the coming Christmas holidays.

Miss Wilkinson

Authorities have not been asked to submit returns of holiday milk and I regret, therefore, that I am not able to give these estimates.