Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on reception year pupils of the age based eligibility threshold for the Nursery Milk Scheme; and whether he is taking steps to ensure consistent access to subsidised milk for all children within the same reception class.

The Nursery Milk Scheme is a statutory scheme which allows early years childcare settings to reclaim the cost of providing one-third of a pint of milk per day to children under the age of five who attend a setting for two or more hours per day. Schools can claim reimbursement from the scheme in respect of their pupils aged under five years old.

The School Food Standards provide that milk must be available in schools for those who want it at least once a day during school hours. Separate legislation allows pupils from lower-income families, and who are eligible for free school meals, to continue to receive free milk at school after the age of five years old. The Government is expanding eligibility to free school meals meaning that more children are able to access milk as part of their free meals.