HC Deb 19 December 1932 vol 273 cc764-5W
Mr. T. WILLIAMS

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education, if he will give figures for the year ended March, 1932, showing the number of local education authorities providing milk for school children; the amount provided daily per head; the number of children supplied and the cost per head; the same particulars for the same period of the number of local education areas where milk is supplied without financial aid by the local education authorities through national milk publicity council schemes; the age range of the children fed, all meals and milk meals, free and for payment separately; and the percentage of children fed, all meals and milk meals, to the population in the same age group?

Mr. RAMSBOTHAM

During the year ended 31st March, 1932, 91 local education authorities provided milk for children in public elementary schools under the powers derived from Sections 82 to 84 of the Education Act, 1921. The practice in these areas in regard to the quantity of milk provided daily for each child is not uniform, and the amount varies between one-third of a pint and a pint. No information is available of the cost per head of milk apart from other meals provided by local education authorities, or of the number of children who were given milk as distinct from supplementary nourishment in other forms (e.g., cod-liver oil, etc.); but more than 195,000 children received during the year some form of supplementary nourishment and the large majority of these were provided with milk. With regard to the latter part of the question, it is not possible to furnish details of the extent of the provision of meals in particular age groups

— Free. For Payment. Total.
Per cent. Per cent. Per cent.
Individual children provided with meals of any type (including supplementary nourishment). 3.7 2.0 5.7
Individual children provided with supplementary nourishment. 1.67 1.85 3.52

The scheme of the National Milk Publicity Council for the supply of milk to children on a voluntary, self-supporting basis, is understood to be in operation in upwards of 200 authorities' areas, and the amount of milk provided for each child is one-third of a pint per day at the cost of one penny. The latest information is to the effect that some 800,000 children participate in the scheme.