asked the Minister for Social Welfare the present position in relation to free milk for primary school children; and how the EEC scheme is administered.
Written Answers. - Free Milk Scheme.
510.
County borough councils, urban district councils and town commissioners are empowered to operate free school meal schemes in their areas and 44 of them do so. Of these 26 supply milk as part of the meal. In addition, the county councils of Counties Cork, Kerry, Galway, Mayo and Donegal operate schemes in specified Gaeltacht areas of those counties but none of these county councils includes milk in the meal.
It is a matter for each local authority to decide whether milk should be supplied under the schemes and the arrangements for its supply; 50 per cent of the cost of the food supplied in the meals is recouped to the local authorities out of my Department's vote. Under an EEC Council Regulation part of the cost of milk up to a maximum of 0.25 litre for each child per schoolday is paid from Community funds. This subsidy at present is approximately 10p per pint.
For the purpose of claiming the subsidy the local authorities furnish returns to my Department of milk supplied to the schools and in 1981 the amount recouped from the EEC is expected to be about £250,000.
I understand that the Minister for Agriculture is at present examining proposals prepared within the dairying industry for the introduction of a milk supply scheme outside the ambit of the school meals schemes.