§ Mr. Gouldasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what are the numbers receiving (i) free welfare milk and (ii) free welfare foods on grounds of low income, divided into (a) those who are not in receipt of family income supplement or supplementary benefit and (b) those who are in receipt of family income supplement or supplementary benefit, for each quarter since August 1970; and, in each case, what proportion of the total numbers eligible these figures are estimated to represent.
§ Mr. MeacherI regret that separate quarterly figures are not available for those receiving free welfare milk and other free welfare foods, or to show what proportion of the total numbers eligible in these categories were receiving these foods. The numbers receiving free milk since November 1971, the earliest date for which figures are available for Great Britain since the introduction of family income supplement, are as follows:
Not in receipt of Family Income Supplement or Supplementary Benefit (000's) In receipt of Family Income Supplement or Supplementary Benefit (000's) November 1971 84 357 May 1972 65 376 August 1972 52 378 November 1972 43 361 May 1973 33 318 August 1973 29 311 November 1973 27 302 January 1974 22 318 April 1974 21 302 August 1974 18 284 November 1974 16 302 February 1975 12 308 May 1975 11 299 August 1975 10 317 December 1975 12 Not yet available