Don't turn out the lights on free school meals

22 Oct 2012
Diane Abbott urges government not to turn the lights out on free milk, as milk
consultation closes

Responding to the Department of Health’s Next Steps for Nursery Milk consultation deadline, Diane
Abbott MP, Labour’s shadow public health minister said:

“This may be the lights being turned out on free milk for many children across the country. It’s
deeply concerning for parents and schools across the country that the
government is still refusing to guarantee that children won’t have their milk
snatched away from them. This government clearly hasn’t learnt from the first
time it tried to snatch the Nursery Milk Scheme away, that the public will have
no truck with cynical plans to snatch milk from children under the guise of
cutting costs.’

Originally, the consultation had been set up to run during the school holidays so that no schools could give a response.  Due to pressure from the Labour Party, campaign groups and
schools, the government has been forced to extend the deadline to Tuesday 23
October 2012.

New figures show that one of the main reasons the costs of the scheme has gone up is because more
children are receiving the milk.  The government is refusing to guarantee
that no children will miss out of the milk.




Financial year

Number of milk portions (each a
third of a pint) reimbursed


2011-12


271,246,523


2010-11


261,704,703



2009-10


217,382,567



2008-09


219,964,361



2007-08


206,107,289


 
--ENDS--
For more information please call Gabe Trodd on 0207 219 4426


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