§ Mr. Peter Bottomleyasked the Secreary of State for Social Services how many mothers have been in receipt of free welfare milk and food, respectively, for each year since 1970; and if he will express these totals as a percentage of those eligible to claim.
§ Mr. DeakinsI regret that separate figures are not available of the numbers of expectant and nursing mothers who are entitled to free milk and vitamins or of nursing mothers who are receiving them. The numbers of expectant mothers who held tokens for free milk and vitamins in November 1971, the earliest date for which information is available, and in subsequent years are as follows:
November 1971 … … 41,000 November 1972 … … 43,000 November 1973 … … 27,000 November 1974 … … 26,000 December 1975 … … 27,000
§ Mr. Peter Bottomleyasked the Secretary of Sate for Social Services what are the numbers receiving free welfare milk and free on grounds of low incomes, divided into (a) those who are not in receipt of family income supplement or supplementary benefit, and (b) those who are in receipt of family income supplement or supplementary benefit, for each quarter since August 1970; and in each case, what proportion of the total numbers eligible these figures are estimated to represent.
§ Mr. DeakinsI would refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my hon. Friend the then Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Security to my hon. Friend the Member for Southampton, Test (Mr. Gould) on 25th March.—[Vol. 908, c.289.]—The number receiving free milk who were in receipt of family income supplement or Supplementary Benefit in December 1975 was 353,000. I regret that no later figures are available.