§ Mr. WillisTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much the Government have spent centrally on administering the National School Fruit Scheme in(a) 2001–02 and (b) 2002–03; and if he will make a statement. [141789]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonI have been asked to reply.
The Department of Health spent £0.75 million in 2001–02 and £0.3 million in 2002–03 on administering and evaluating National School Fruit Scheme pilots, including the cost of the fruit. In 2002–03 and 2003–04 the lottery-funded New Opportunities Fund has been supporting a scaling-up of the original pilots region by region with £42 million. From 2004–05 the scheme will be rolled out to all local education authority infant schools in England with full funding by the Department of Health.