LOOKING back over my surgeries during the last four years there have been several recurring themes.

The Government organisation that causes most problems is the Child Support Agency (CSA). Early in my time in Parliament I arranged a meeting with the minister with responsibility for the CSA and I was relieved to learn that she was aware of the problems it faced.

Her hope was that a new computer system would solve the problems. As has happened so many times before and is now a worry for the NHS, this hope was dashed by the depressingly predictable problems with such new systems.

However, since that meeting I have done some combined surgeries with a senior officer of the CSA to discuss with constituents problems that were particularly intractable. These meetings have helped in some cases.

The chaos of the tax credits system has been brought to my attention many times and the direct phone line for MPs has enabled my secretary to get answers that were unobtainable because of the difficulties for ordinary people to make effective contact.

Disputes between neighbours have been distressingly frequent and, as there are usually problems from both sides of the dispute, discussion and mediation are the only answer as it is impossible for an MP to take sides.

LAST weekend we were treated to two exciting concerts.

The first was given by Wyre Forest Young Voices and Primary Chords. Young people from as young as five took us through a delightfully varied programme from Bach and Pergolesi via Rogers and Hammerstein to John Williams and Geoff Cummings-Knight who wrote Severn Rides for Severn Lovers, such a locally topical piece.

All credit goes to Geoffrey Weaver, the conductor, Urszula Weber, the voice coach, and Michael Elden, the accompanist for such sympathetic training leading to such enjoyable sounds.

The evening was varied by a quartet of talented saxophonists from Bewdley High School and two splendid young violinists.

One cannot forget Carol Hill and Nicci Lane, conductor and accompanist of the junior choir, Primary Chords, for producing such joyful singing from their young members which was complemented by an impromptu dramatic performance from a very young member in the front row.

On the next night Geoffrey Weaver returned to conduct the Kidderminster Choral Society with the Elgar Symphonia and organist, Marcus Huxley, with professional soloists in Masses by Haydn and Mozart.

It goes without saying that they were all very impressive and I will be watching the future of the soloists who displayed lovely voices and worked so hard to produce such high quality performances.

In addition Geoffrey has moulded the amateur singers into a choir producing professional sound, diction and expression.

It was a memorable evening and especially good to appreciate our historic town hall organ with its magnificent tone that I hear so rarely due to other commitments.