Lymington Times – 17 October 2009

Having been utterly opposed to the fluoridation of Totton's water supply – as I trust your readers know – I was grateful for the front-page coverage (Lymington Times, 10 October) concerning the letter on this subject from Conservative Shadow Health Minister Mike Penning MP.

This makes it absolutely clear that there will be no fluoridation here (or, indeed, anywhere else) under a Conservative Government unless the community is in favour of it. The whole process will be looked at and revised to prevent public opinion being overridden in the way the Strategic Health Authority tried to do.

Although this can be seen from the story, I am concerned that the headlines may mislead some readers. 'Public Support "Vital" for Fluoridation, say Tories' could be read as implying Conservative support for such mass medication. A preferable headline would have been along the lines of 'No Fluoridation without Public Consent' – because that is what Mike Penning's letter was all about.

I shall continue to work on a cross-party basis to make sure fluoridation is not imposed upon us against our will – and that is why the commitment given by the Conservative Shadow Health Minister is so welcome and so important.

(Dr) JULIAN LEWIS MP
House of Commons
London SW1A 0AA