THIS week back in London, after the recess, started with a meeting about immunisation for the Human Papilloma Virus, responsible for cervical cancer, thus a very exciting example of a potentially preventable cancer. Then there was another meeting about new tests for people at risk of developing tuberculosis under certain circumstances.

Then I met with representatives of the West Mercia Police Authority to discuss attempts to change the Home Secretary's mind about force mergers followed by a meeting of the All Party Sewers Group to hear about the very slow progress in trying to get unadopted sewers transferred to water authorities. This is one of the initiatives strongly supported by the previous minister, Elliot Morley, who is one of the greatest, inexplicable losses from the recent re-shuffle of ministerial appointments.

A group of us are planning to meet the new minister to get him fully in the picture as soon as possible to make sure we have his support now we have lost such an excellent minister.

Two Bills have had their second reading. The NHS Redress Bill passed this stage without division. It aims to reform the way lower-value NHS clinical negligence cases are handled to speed up the whole process leading to explanations, apologies and financial redress where appropriate without the need to go to court.

The Company Law Reform Bill also passed its second reading. This has four broad aims:

l To enhance shareholder engagement and a long-term investment culture.

l To make it easier to set up and run a company.

l To ensure better regulation and Think Small First approach.

l To give effect to EU directives.

At first sight this appears like more regulation but as it has already been comprehensively reviewed and amended by the House of Lords I am hoping it will be of practical value.

Both of these Bills now go to committees for further scrutiny.

People who have written to me will be encouraged to hear that the second Bill is seen as an opportunity to make UK companies more socially responsible for their impacts on environmental and trade justice issues.

Another local organisation has won well-deserved funding. This is Kidderminster Civic Society which has been awarded £21,197 from the Local Heritage Initiative run by the Countryside Agency with funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund and sponsorship with Nationwide Building Society to involve the local community in enhancing the records of known sites, monuments and historic buildings within the parish of Kidderminster.

Finally while we are thinking of the World Cup, spare a thought for the England cricket selectors who continue to look for an excellent wicket-keeper batsman to bolster our national team. Could their search be over?

Our Kidderminster-reared Steve Davies excelled for Worcestershire last weekend, scoring 192 runs off Gloucestershire's bowling and then donning his gloves to dismiss five of their batsmen!