Helen highlights NHS and farming in Budget debate

North Shropshire MP Helen Morgan has used her time in the debate over the Chancellor’s budget statement to raise the state of the county’s NHS, and her call for extra support for farmers and the agricultural sector.

Since day one as the MP for North Shropshire, Helen has used her role to campaign on health issues – from ambulance waiting times to a lack of GP appointments and the problems Shropshire Council are facing in providing social care for an ageing population.

The MP described how recruitment issues underly the problem across the health sector in Shropshire, mentioning in particular the collapse of NHS dental provision and her ongoing call for reform to stop the decline.

Helen Morgan, MP for North Shropshire, said, “Lack of recruitment in the health service is one of the biggest issues we have in Shropshire, which has had a number of specific issues with the health service. It's got a hospital in special measures, which has been for years. We have appalling A&E wait times. We're in a dental desert where it's very difficult to register with an NHS dentist.

“I don't think there are any NHS dentists taking on new patients in North Shropshire. So we really need to see this workforce plan come to fruition. For example, there are 2,000 dentists from overseas already here ready to take the overseas registration exam, but there are lengthy delays to that process. The Association of Dental Groups say that just 1,000 of those dentists would provide an extra 750,000 appointments a year.

“We could get people into dentists, get those rural services firing, and people would want to come and live in our area, stay and stay in our area, and get the services that they might expect in an urban one.

“Getting the rural workforce sorted out is essential, not only for the economy, but also for essential health care for the people that live in the beautiful part of the world that I call home.”

The MP then turned to problems in farming and the agriculture sector. The Conservatives promised in their 2019 manifesto that support for farmers would be maintained until a new payment scheme was implemented.

Helen Morgan accused the Government of breaking this promise, with farmers now facing a 50% reduction in payments at a time when the industry is facing unprecedented pressures.

Helen Morgan MP added, “About 93% of the area is agricultural, and about 18% of the businesses are agricultural, too. So it was a little bit disappointing not to hear any mention of farming or rural Britain in the Chancellor's statement last week.

We know that farmers have had a really, really tough time. They've had high input costs, they've had the wettest winter on record, which is causing a huge challenge at the moment. But we're also seeing a 50% reduction in farm payment support this year. And that's despite a Conservative manifesto promise in 2019 to retain the level of support as the new schemes were switched to.

“So I'm here to call on the Government to ensure that support is maintained at the same level so that farm incomes can be maintained, and also that those environmental schemes are easier to access.”