§ 5. Sir Anthony Meyerasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what percentage of liquid milk production is consumed under school milk subsidised consumption.
§ Mrs. FennerSubsidised school milk represents about 1 per cent. of liquid milk sales and about ½ per cent. of total milk production.
§ Sir Anthony MeyerDoes not the scheme put the best of all possible foods into children's stomachs and a good deal of cash into farmers' pockets at a minimum cost to the British taxpayer? Is it not a pity that so few local authorities have taken advantage of the scheme? Will my hon. Friend use her best offices to persuade them to do so?
§ Mrs. FennerOn the contrary, of 126 local authorities and education boards involved, only six have refused to take up the subsidy. Four have yet to respond.
§ Mr. MaclennanWhy does the Minister not introduce a national scheme?
§ Mrs. FennerIt is a good Community scheme, from which in 1981 we derived £18 million. I am sure that the hon. Gentleman would not grumble about that.
Mr. Mark HughesDoes the hon. Lady agree that the quality of the scheme does not prevent it being a national scheme? Will she introduce a national scheme and not allow some reprobate local authorities to get out of it?
§ Mrs. FennerEach local education authority should decide its own spending priorities, including the importance that it attaches to school milk.
§ Sir Peter MillsWill my hon. Friend encourage the consumption of all milk products, bearing in mind the immense danger to the industry from the new synthetic cheese that is selling at 50 per cent. below the cost of normal cheese?
§ Mrs. FennerWe have tried to make it as easy as possible for authorities to take full advantage of the subsidies that are available. Last year we negotiated an aggregate scheme that included semi-skimmed flavoured milk and cheese and yoghurt with a 12½ per cent. local authority contribution.