Dr. Guestasked the Minister of Agriculture (1) whether there has been any extension of the milk-in-schools scheme and of local authorities schemes for making available to expectant and nursing mothers and to children under school age milk at a reduced price or free since the passing of the Milk (Extension and Amendment) Act, 1938, which increased the sum available for these purposes from £500,000 to £750,000;
(2) whether the milk distributors have now agreed to operate the draft scheme for the distribution of milk at a reduced price to expectant and nursing mothers and children below school age, scheduled to begin on 1st October, 1938; or whether the refusal of the distributors to operate the scheme, as disclosed at a meeting between the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Agriculture, Milk Marketing Board, and Central Milk Distributive Committee on 22nd September, 1938, is still holding up the scheme?
§ Sir R. Dorman-SmithRevised arrangements for the milk-in-schools scheme came into operation on 1st March. The principal amendment effected by the new arrangements is an extension of the existing scheme so that children who normally2240W get milk under the scheme may continue to do so when absent from school through illness, provided the parents make arrangements for the milk to be fetched from the school. As regards a scheme for reducing the price of liquid milk to local authorities for the purposes of their maternity and child welfare arrangements, I am not in a position to add to the reply that I gave to my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Wycombe (Sir A. Knox) on 20th February.
Dr. Guestasked the Minister of Agriculture what money has been expended since 1st October, 1938, to date, respectively, on the milk-in-schools scheme, and the provision of milk at reduced prices or free for expectant and nursing mothers and children below school age out of the amount of £750,000 made available by the Milk (Extension and Amendment) Act, 1938?
§ Sir R. Dorman-SmithSince 1st October last £262,000 has been, or is in process of being, paid in pursuance of Section 2 of the Milk(Extension and Amendment) Act, 1938, in respect of milk supplied under the milk-in-schools schemes during the months October, 1938, to January, 1939, inclusive. No sums have yet been paid under this Act in respect of the provision of milk to mothers and to children below school age.