§ Mr. Peter Bottomleyasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science 47W how many children claimed free milk in Great Britain in each year from 1970; if he will analyse this information for pupils receiving free milk on (a) grounds of age and (b) grounds of health; and if he will analyse the totals of the numbers claiming free milk because of age as a percentage of eligible pupils in attendance, and those receiving free milk on grounds of health as a percentage of pupils in attendance in the eligible age groups.
§ Miss Margaret JacksonInformation about free school milk in Scotland is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland. Information for England and Wales in the precise form requested is not immediately available, but I will arrange for figures of pupils receiving free milk on grounds of age to be circulated in theOfficial Report at an early date. Figures of pupils receiving free milk on health grounds are as follows:
MAINTAINED SCHOOLS (INCLUDING NURSERY AND SPECIAL) IN ENGLAND AND WALES Pupils receiving free milk on health grounds Year (October) Number As a percentage of eligible pupils in attendance 1970 — — 1971 27,931 1.0 1972 85,255 3.0 1973 87,274 3.0 1974 75,853 2.7 1975 53,506 2.0 Notes:
1. Free milk to pupils aged between 7 and 12 on health grounds was not introduced until 1971.
2. The figures for 1971 were collected shortly after the new arrangements came into force and before the identification of all pupils needing milk on health grounds had been completed. The figures are therefore not comparable with those for later years.
3. All figures relate to a day in October when the census was taken for the years in question.
4. Figures for 1976 are not yet available.