Assurances were given

Assurances were given
MR DENHAM'S response on fluoridation (Letters, September 5) will have provoked many a wry smile. He says: "I do not believe there's enough evidence of widespread public support to go ahead". In fact, he knows that both now and repeatedly during the past fifteen years local residents have expressed their opposition in the strongest terms.
He also knows that the Department of Health, with the minister's authority, gave the public the assurance last year: "It is the Government's policy that no new
fluoridation schemes should be introduced unless it can be shown that the local population is in favour". These are the precise words, so I draw attention to the conditional "unless", the specific reference to the local population, and the emphasis "in favour".
Mr Denham can therefore point out to the SHA that the people are not in favour and advise them that more than enough money has been wasted on promoting their pet project - money which could have been put to much better use.
G PAYNE, Southampton.