§ Mr. Ron Lewisasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science, in view of the fact that a sub-committee of the Cumbria Education Committee is recom- 388W mending not to take advantage of the free school milk in September for junior children in the county, what action she proposes to take to encourage local authorities to provide free milk.
§ Miss Margaret JacksonFollowing the Budget Statement my right hon. Friend expressed her hope that local education authorities would recognise the exceptionally good value represented by the milk scheme and decide to provide free milk to junior pupils. A circular letter was sent to every local education authority in May explaining that free milk could be provided to junior schoolchildren in 1978–79 at no cost to the authority, and that thereafter the EEC subsidy would reduce by more than one-third the cost to the authority of providing free milk. It is now for each authority to decide whether to take advantage of these arrangements.