§ Mr. John E. B. Hillasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether the results of the October census of school milk are now available.
§ Mrs. ThatcherIn October 1,918,000 pupils in England and Wales, being pupils in special schools or pupils in other schools who are entitled to it until the end of the summer term ending next after they attain their seventh birthday, were receiving free school milk.
In addition 28,000 primary school pupils over the age of 7 were receiving free school milk on health grounds. These figures represent 94.8 per cent. and 1 per cent. of the respective age groups present on the day of the census. On that day 31 local education authorities had made arrangements for the sale of milk in a total of 448 primary and 47 secondary schools.
The census was taken during a day in the period 4th–15th October, about a month after the new milk-in-school arrangements came into force. The identification of all pupils needing milk on grounds of health and arrangements for the sale of milk had not by then been completed in many areas. The medical certification procedures will continue until all the children concerned have been identified, and it is understood that more authorities have made, or are proposing
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DAY PUPILS TAKING MID-DAY MEALS Autumn, 1971 May, 1971 On Payment Free Total On Payment Free Total Bedfordshire … 28,822 2,642 31,464 25,845 2,549 28,394 Berkshire … 51,455 4,212 55,667 45,667 3,845 49,512 Buckinghamshire … 60,055 4,143 64,198 55,608 4,050 59,658 Cambridgeshire and Isle of Ely 24,704 3,400 28,104 22,301 3,014 25,315 Cheshire … 98,712 14,475 113,187 87,417 13,747 101,164 Cornwall … 28,800 7,855 36,655 24,965 7,377 32,842 Cumberland … 25,813 4,738 30,551 24,701 4,975 29,676 Derbyshire … 57,121 9,018 66,139 50,995 8,076 59,071 Devon … 32,093 9,539 41,632 28,990 9,581 38,571 Dorset … 26,418 5,129 31,547 22,483 5,307 27,790 Durham … 61,704 20,900 82,604 53,347 19,405 72,752 Essex … 95,901 11,191 107,092 81,206 10,934 92,140 Gloucestershire … 52,316 7,176 59,492 47,391 6,912 54,303 Hampshire … 89,451 11,452 100,903 79,900 11,235 91,135 Herefordshire … 15,638 2,601 18,239 14,395 2,677 17,072 to make, arrangements for the sale of milk in school.