§ Mr. Grocottasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what arrangements are being made to reimburse local education authorities for their expenditure on providing free milk for junior pupils.
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§ Mrs. Shirley WilliamsLocal education authorities will be empowered from the beginning of this autumn term to provide one-third of a pint of milk free to all pupils in maintained primary schools and middle (deemed primary) schools and all junior pupils in middle (deemed secondary) schools who do not already receive free milk under the existing statutory provision.
Details of the arrangements for reimbursing authorities are contained in a letter which my Department has sent today to chief education officers. The letter, a copy of which I am sending to my hon. Friend, explains that expenditure on free milk for junior pupils during the autumn term 1978 and the spring term 1979 will be fully reimbursed by means of direct grants from my Department to cover the cost of the milk itself and an element for overheads; provision of this milk in the financial year 1978–79 will therefore cost authorities nothing. For 1979–80 onwards, authorities' expenditure—not of the EEC subsidy on school milk which can be claimed separately from my Department—will form part of relevant expenditure for rate support grant in the normal way.