Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to change the the entitlement to Nursery Milk Scheme from ending at age five to the end of the academic year.

The Nursery Milk Scheme allows early years childcare settings, such as childminders and nurseries, to reclaim the cost of providing one-third of a pint of milk to children under five years old, who attend their childcare setting for at least two hours per day. Schools are also allowed to claim under this scheme in respect of pupils under the age of five years old. There are no current plans to extend the Nursery Milk Scheme to the end of the academic year.

From the age of five years old onwards, pupils eligible for benefits-based free school meals are eligible for free school milk. In addition, the school milk subsidy scheme subsidises the cost of milk and certain milk products for children in primary and secondary schools, including those over five years old. This means that participating schools can sell the products in schools at a lower price. More information on this scheme is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/school-milk-subsidy-scheme#:~:text=The%20school%20milk%20subsidy%20scheme,eligible%20milk%20products%20or%20yoghurts