§ Mr. Waltersasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will estimate the number of mothers who benefited from the welfare milk scheme in respect of the sale of infant formula in 1981 and to the latest available date in 1982; and how many tokens were distributed in 1981 and 1982.
§ Mr. Geoffrey FinsbergIt is estimated that in 1981 1.84 million tokens were exchanged for modified dried milk—infant formula—without cost to beneficiaries, under the Welfare Food Order 1980, as amended. The provisional figure for the first six months of 1982 is 1.09 million. I regret that figures are not held centrally in respect of sales of infant formula by health authorities, under the Sale of Goods for Mothers and Children (Designation and Charging) Regulations 1978.