On a sunny morning, I hopped onto my motorcycle and headed to Portland, which is always a great pleasure. I was there to meet Peter Eckersall, the charming MD of Tods Defence, based at the top of the island. Peter generously gave me over an hour of his time, explaining the company's role and how it came to be. It employs more than 40 skilled staff, who work on innovative and secret elements for submarines. I was fascinated to hear what Peter had to say and all credit to him and the company for surviving in a competitive environment. These are exactly the sort of jobs that we need to attract in S Dorset and I will do my best to get Peter in front of a minister from the MOD as there were various concerns he raised that could so easily be averted and save taxpayers' money. Due to time running out, I am organising to return there in the days ahead in order to meet and chat to the staff.