I know some people in West Dorset have experienced difficulties in accessing an NHS dentist. I have been working hard in Westminster to ease this situation. I have successfully lobbied previously for a reform of the Dental Contract, which will streamline the service and free up additional capacity for patients. I met last Wednesday with the Health Secretary, where I urged for further reforms to ensure patients in West Dorset are secured the service they need.

During Education Questions on Monday last week, I asked the Minister to help The Gryphon School in Sherborne access the funding it needs to replace its dilapidated ‘temporary’ classroom units and I will continue working to get the resources needed to this important local school. I’m hopeful we will have this decision by the end of the month – so only a few weeks away.
Last week I went to visit Trent Primary and Cheselbourne First schools, which was really enjoyable. The cake baking at Cheselbourne looks amazing and I’m looking forward to supporting the school still further next year.

Following on from my update two weeks ago about supermarket fuel prices, many more people have been in touch to share their experiences, so thank you. I put forward a number of challenges to Morrisons executives at a meeting two weeks ago on Tuesday about its highly unfair pricing policies which are charging West Dorset residents a premium in order to undercut rival suppliers. This included considerable differences between Morrisons in Bridport, Weymouth, Yeovil and Wincanton stores – sometimes up to 20p a litre. And price differences too between Tescos in Dorchester, Yeovil, Blandford and Poole.

Last Wednesday I also called on the Government to ensure the Grocery Code Adjudicator – the regulator for supermarkets, to be given the teeth it needs to curb the predatory behaviour of supermarket chains that have whittled down the resilience of the farming industry to the point where now it is the consumers paying the price – and the best current example is eggs.
Supermarkets are attributing bird flu as the principal cause of egg shortages but there is much more going on as I outlined in a speech in Westminster two weeks ago. Egg production has fallen by 13 per cent in the UK since last year. Investors are no longer confident in the market because supermarkets have paid them a peppercorn sum while production costs have soared.
They aren’t investing in equipment and are buying fewer chicks to replenish their laying hens. We’ve even had some supermarkets which claim to buy only British produce, importing barn-reared eggs from Italy! At a time when we need to bolster our own food security, this situation cannot continue and I am working to expose this behaviour which I warned about in October last year.
Supermarket supply chains need rebalancing in favour of fairness for the producer.