Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the debate in Westminster Hall on Children's health: Access to milk of 28 March 2017, if her Department will make an assessment of the recommendations in Tetra Pak's Making more of milk report to improve access to and uptake of milk in primary schools.

The Government encourages consumption of dairy products as part of a healthy, balanced diet through legislation, funding and guidance.

The School Food Standards ensures milk must be available every school day for drinking. Practical guidance including portion sizes is available on the School Food Plan website. Where we have evidence that individual schools are not meeting the standards, we follow up directly with the school.

We have no plans to extend eligibility for free school milk to all children in reception classes. Disadvantaged pupils over the age of 5 are entitled to free school milk. To help subsidise the cost of school milk, schools can choose to take part in the Nursery Milk Scheme and the EU School Milk Subsidy Scheme. We will consider the longer-term approach to school milk provision as part of a future domestic policy programme.

We do not intend to take a formal assessment against the recommendations in this report, however, we have agreed to meet representatives of Tetra Pak and departmental officials are currently in contact.