Stephen's Week

Saturday 13th January:

I went back to Westminster this week after the Christmas break. In the first week of January, prior to Parliament's return I had a mainly quiet week in Bristol. But I held my normal surgery, met the chief executive and senior managers at the Higher Education Funding Council for England ("HEFCE") which is based on the UWE campus in North Bristol, met the CEO of Clifton based ethical investors Triodos Bank, did an interview for BBC Points West on the awful level of service on First Great Western trains and had a good time at the new year party organised by Barnadoes and a local Somalian charity for about 200 Somalian children at the Cabot sports centre in St Pauls. I presented cups and medals to two winning football teams. I've also been door knocking in Lawrence Hill ward, supporting Cllr Sue O'Donnell.

Here's an account of my first Parliamentary week:

MONDAY 8 JANUARY 2007

Up to London. Met our new office intern, Neil. Education Select Committee was a closed session, discussing progress on our current investigations and planning future projects.

TUESDAY 9 January

Neil Harrison, Bristol West Chair, was on a visit and I gave him a tour. He was also briefing our Children's spokesperson Annette Brooke MP on the progression of children in care to higher education.

Lunchtime was my first official lunch of the year and a pretty swanky one it was, at The Savoy. This was the annual lunch of my professional association, the Chartered Institute of Taxation. Nigel Lawson was made a fellow and I met him briefly afterwards. I have long since ceased to be surprised to meet current cabinet ministers but it is still odd to run into senior people from the Thatcher government!

In the afternoon I met with the NSPCC to discuss our campaign against bullying.

Later I went outside as there was a demonstration by some Christian organisations against the sexual orientation discrimination regulations, being discussed by the House of Lords today. These extend protection to gay people from refusal of goods and services by prejudiced businesses and organisations. I tried to reason with some people but after being told by

one that I was destined to burn in hell I gave up. Later I watched the end of the Lords debate and was pleased to see the regulations passed by a large majority, with only a hard core of Tories (including Tebbit, one old Tory who I don't want to meet!) voting against.

Today I also did my first TV interview in Central Lobby, defending Ruth Kelly's right to do what she thinks best for her children but pointing out that she lives in a Labour London Borough and under a Labour government almost 10 years old. So it's a shame other parents don't have the same purchasing power as her to buy provision outside state schools.

WEDNESDAY 10th January

Education Select Committee kicked off our wide enquiry into Higher Education with a review of the 'Bologna Process' This is the attempt by 45 countries to have a common structure to degrees, Masters and Phd qualifications. Generally, English and Welsh students have shorter degree programmes than the rest of Europe and other parts of the world.

The first PMQs of 2007 saw Cameron trying to make hay out of the latest Home Office mess and Ming Campbell asking whether Britain will have a more independent foreign policy under Gordon Brown. Of course this year we will have the drama of a change in Prime Minister. I doubt if PMQs will become a more sedate experience.

In the afternoon I had an interview with a skills magazine and we had our first Parliamentary party meeting of the year.

THURSDAY 11th January

A nerve wracking morning. Sarah Teather was away so I was leading for us on Education Questions in the Chamber, scheduled for 10.30am. We only get one guaranteed front bench question, which has to be a supplementary to a question already on the order paper. We have to tell the Speaker's Office which one has been selected and yesterday I chose a question on the new 14 - 19 diplomas that are under developed. I did some background reading last night and walked in this morning confident that I had a good supplementary. But then discovered that the Labour MP who was asking it had withdrawn, so I was back to square one with about half an hour to spare. Quickly chose another question on school numbers and our whips office told the Speaker. In the end it went fine!

I came back to Bristol in the afternoon. I opened the new offices of the charity Feed the Children, based on Stokes Croft. They collect food and essential items for orphaned children, mainly in Africa. But they also run breakfast clubs in schools in deprived communities here in Bristol. The Lord Mayor was also in attendance and as it was his wife's birthday I led everyone in singing to her! Find out about the charity here: http://www.feedthechildren.org.uk/

In the evening I went door knocking again in Lawrence Hill with Cllr Sue O'Donnell.

FRIDAY 12th January

Met Andrew Skipp, CEO of Bristol Airport at my constituency office. He'd had a pretty awful week with Easy Jet and others refusing to use the new runway in wet weather. We were discussing the airport's expansion plans. I was the first politician in the region to object to them, as aviation is a fast growing contributor to climate changing greenhouse gases. If Bristol Airport was taking some flight slots from Heathrow and Gatwick then I would support them. But the government is still planning for aviation growth everywhere. I think this is quite mad.

Staying with transport, met Henleaze cllr and Council Exec Member for Transport, Dennis Brown. We discussed a variety of planning and transport issues.

Then off to the University of the West of England to meet the Vice Chancellor, Sir Howard Newby. Discussed both Bristol and national higher education issues.

Back to the city centre for my Friday surgery.

Sunday 14th January

Train to Liverpool, in advance of an Education Select Committee visit on Monday. I hadn't been to Liverpool for about 15 years. It now has a successful Lib Dem Council that has transformed the reputation of the city after years of Labour mismanagement...rather like Bristol. The city is

also having a major extension to its shopping centre. Rather than tie themselves in knots over historically difficult names they've called it "Liverpool One". Bristol and Liverpool were two of the main slave trade ports until the 1807 abolition. I looked around the Maritime Museum

exhibition on the slave trade. Like Bristol, they will have a new exhibition later this year.