School Milk Scheme (Hansard, 8 March 1994)

§ Dr. Strang
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many children were direct beneficiaries of the school milk scheme in(a) the 12 school weeks prior to and 12 school weeks after the removal of buttermilk and cheese from the school milk scheme and (b) the 12 school weeks before and 12 school weeks after the reduction in funding for the school milk scheme was effected.

§ Mrs. Gillian Shephard
Information on the number of school children benefiting from the school milk scheme is not held on a weekly basis. During the academic years192W 1992–93 and 1993–94, 8,139,417 and 8,048,510 school children respectively were eligible beneficiaries of the school milk scheme.

§ Dr. Strang
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what proportion of EC funding available for the subsidy of milk and dairy produce in schools was accounted for by the United Kingdom before and after each reduction in funding for the school milk scheme.

§ Mrs. Gillian Shephard
The United Kingdom accounted for 24.29 per cent. of total EC expenditure on the school milk scheme in the 1992 FEOGA year and for 22.62 per cent. in 1993. This reduction reflects the removal of cheese and buttermilk from the scheme, in the United Kingdom, in April 1993. There is no information yet available on United Kingdom expenditure on the scheme following the 25 per cent. cut in the rate of subsidy and the technical amendments adopted in October 1993. The new arrangements came into effect only on 1 January 1994.

§ Dr. Strang
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will provide a figure for the value of European Community support lost to the United Kingdom as a consequence of the reduction in European funding for the school milk scheme since(a) 1 April 1993 and (b) 4 October 1994.

§ Mrs. Gillian Shephard
Based on claims covering the 12-month period prior to the removal of buttermilk and cheese from the scheme, on 1 April 1993 the value of EC subsidy lost to the United Kingdom for those products totalled £9,245,245.97. Buttermilk accounted for expenditure of just £599.99. No information will be available on the value of support lost to the United Kingdom as a result of the 25 per cent. cut in the school milk subsidy, which was adopted on 4 October 1993 and came into force on 1 January 1994, until claims for the period have been received.

§ Dr. Strang
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many ready-packaged one third pint containers of subsidised milk were distributed by local authorities in the United Kingdom six months before and after each reduction in funding for the school milk scheme.

§ Mrs. Gillian Shephard
No information is held by the Intervention Board executive agency, which administers the school milk scheme, on the number of one third pint containers of milk distributed by local authorities.

§ Dr. Strang
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what quantity and value of milk and milk products which would formerly have been distributed through the school milk scheme have since 1 April 1993 instead been redirected; and to where they have been redirected;
(2) what quantity and value of milk and milk products formerly distributed under the school milk scheme have been redirected since 1 April 1993; and what have been their destinations.

Mrs. Gillian Shepherd
No definitive information is available on the quantity, value or use to which the milk and milk products no longer utilised under the school milk scheme have been put.

§ Dr. Strang
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what has been the change in spending 193W in actual and real terms on the school milk scheme after (a) the removal of buttermilk and cheese from the school milk scheme and (b) the reduction in funding.

Mrs. Gillian Shepherd
The change in spending by local authorities in actual terms since the removal of buttermilk and cheese from the scheme on 1 April 1993 has amounted to a reduction of £5,549,137.98 when comparing the cost of subsidised products in the term before, spring 1993, and the term after, summer 1993, the removal of cheese and buttermilk from the scheme on 1 April 1993. No information will be available on the reduction in funding resulting from the 25 per cent. cut in the rate of subsidy and the technical amendments to the scheme until claims for the period have been received.
It would be inappropriate to express the reductions in expenditure on the school milk scheme in real terms because the changes to the scheme have been single events rather than the result of changes over a period of time.

§ Dr. Strang
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in real terms what was the average cost of each local authority school meal in(a) the 12 school weeks prior and 12 school weeks after the removal of buttermilk and cheese from the school milk scheme arid the 12 school weeks prior to and 12 school weeks after the reduction in funding for the school milk scheme.

Mrs. Gillian Shepherd
No information is collected by the Intervention Board executive agency, which administers the school milk scheme, on the cost of school meals.

§ Dr. Strang
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment she has made of the relationship between the cost trend for local authority school meals and change in the availability of ingredients formerly subsidised as part of the school milk scheme and the reduction of funding for the scheme.

§ Mrs. Gillian Shephard
No assessment has been made of the relationship between the costs of school meals provided by local authorities and the changes in the products covered by the school milk scheme. Furthermore, neither MAFF nor the Intervention Board executive agency, which administers the scheme, has any information which would enable such an assessment to be carried out.

§ Dr. Strang
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what has been the cost to the local authorities in terms of the funding allocated for the purpose of making up the deficiency in their accounts arising as a consequence of cuts in the value and scope of the school milk scheme since(a) 1 April 1993, (b) 4 October 1993 and (c) in total.

§ Mrs. Gillian Shephard
Neither MAFF nor the Intervention Board executive agency, which administers the school milk scheme, have any information on how local authorities have covered the deficiency in their accounts created by the reduction in funding following the 25 per cent. cut in the rate of subsidy.

§ Dr. Strang
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what are the administrative costs of(a) distributing milk through the school milk scheme and (b) alternative provision for disposing of milk.

§ Mrs. Gillian Shephard
The administrative costs for the Intervention Board executive agency and the194W Department of Education for Northern Ireland in distributing milk through the school milk scheme were £134,871.80 for the financial year 1993–94. There is no information available on the administrative costs incurred by local authorities. The costs of alternative provisions for disposing of milk not taken up under the school milk scheme would depend on the products into which this milk was manufactured, the volumes involved and the disposal method used. The cost of disposing of one tonne of milk in the form of butter or skimmed milk powder is estimated at around £96.

§ Dr. Strang
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food who is responsible for the disbursement of funds for the school milk scheme.

§ Mrs. Gillian Shephard
Responsibility for the disbursement of funds for the school milk scheme rests with the Intervention Board executive agency in Great Britain and the Department of Education for Northern Ireland in the Province.

§ Dr. Strang
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many tonnes of milk and other products eligible for the school milk scheme were consumed in(a) the 12 school weeks prior to and (b) 12 school weeks after the removal of buttermilk and cheese from the scheme, (c) the 12 school sitting weeks before and (d) the 12 school sitting weeks after the reduction in funding for the scheme was effected.

§ Mrs. Gillian Shephard
There is no information available on a 12-weekly basis on tonnages of milk and milk products consumed under the school milk scheme after removal of buttermilk and cheese. 30,608,186.49 tonnes of eligible milk and milk products, for which subsidy was claimed, were consumed in the school term, spring term 1993, immediately prior to the removal of buttermilk and cheese from the scheme on 1 April 1993. A total of 30,621,821.121 tonnes of eligible milk and milk products, for which subsidy was claimed, were consumed in the school term, summer term 1993, immediately following the removal of buttermilk and cheese from the scheme on 1 April 1993.
Similarly, there is no information available on a 12 weekly basis on changes in consumption before and after the 25 per cent. cut in the subsidy and the technical amendments were introduced. No information will be available until claims for the period have been received.

§ Dr. Strang
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will chart any changes in the local authority spending on milk and other products eligible for the school milk scheme in(a) the 12 school sitting weeks before and 12 school sitting weeks after the removal of buttermilk and cheese from the school milk scheme and (b) the 12 school sitting weeks before and 12 school sitting weeks after the reduction in funding for the school milk scheme was effected.

§ Mrs. Gillian Shephard
No information is available on a 12-weekly basis to enable changes in local authority spending before and after removal of buttermilk and cheese from the school milk scheme to be monitored, nor on the changes following the 25 per cent. cut in the subsidy and the technical amendments introduced on 1 January 1994. Local authority spending on eligible milk and milk products during the term, spring 1993, prior to the removal 195W of buttermilk and cheese from the scheme on 1 April 1993 and the term after, summer 1993, decreased by £4,360,333.99. No information on changes in spending before and after 1 January 1994 will be available until claims for the period have been received.

§ Dr. Strang
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will list the local authorities which since 4 October 1993 have(a) increased, (b) reduced and (c) left unchanged their provision of subsidised school drinking milk and other eligible products under the school milk scheme as part of a school meal.

§ Mrs. Gillian Shephard
No information will be available on changes in uptake by local authorities under the school milk scheme following the 25 per cent. cut in the subsidy and the technical amendments to the scheme, introduced on 1 January 1994, until claims for the period have been received.