§ Lord Aveburyasked Her Majesty's Government:
What amount is budgeted for 1997–98 for the promotion of breast feeding in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland respectively, and how this compares with the actual for the year 1996–97.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Baroness Cumberlege)The Government remain committed to promoting breast feeding as the best way of feeding a baby. Allocations for centrally funded breast feeding promotion in 1997–98 are expected to be broadly comparable with those in 1996–97 in those United Kingdom health departments which identify this expenditure separately (some do not). But the precise figures have not yet been decided.
These budgets do not include the cost of any local activity (e.g., by health professionals in clinics and general practitioner surgeries) to promote breast feeding, or the costs of the time of National Health Service staff who support mothers to breast feed.