LAST week I held a debate to raise the awareness of internet fraud. My debate on the Wednesday clashed with a meeting of the health select committee when Jamie Oliver was the witness on tackling obesity.

As the internet fraud debate was in my name I could not go to the health committee meeting but the press coverage, as the witness was a celebrity, was full.

My debate followed the alarming examples of internet fraud that we are hearing about.

I suggested a Scam Alert Day to highlight the risk which is faced by all of us by telephone, letter or e-mail.

The minister responding had an idea that there was a Scam Awareness Week, but the awareness of this is low. His staff thought it might be in February while none of the MPs present had even heard about it.

My assistant looked on Google and found the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) runs a Scam Awareness Month, but I wonder how many people have heard of this? I have written to the OFT to suggest that there should be one concentrated day when newspapers, TV and radio channels and the internet are saturated with scam awareness messages.

We already have the ideal slogan for such a campaign – If it’s too good to be true, it’s not true.

We must all remember this as even the minister told me that he had been tricked into revealing his personal details.

Sadly, it is looking unlikely that we have any way of reversing the post office closures. I am told by Consumer Focus, the replacement organisation for Postwatch, that it has been in place throughout the consultation process and that now the final decision has been taken by Post Office Limited there is no appeal process.

At least during a debate on the Post Office card account on Monday, ministers were left in no doubt about the commitment of MPs of all parties to their post offices and, if the Post Office does not retain the card account, about the real risk of losing another 3,000 branches in addition to the 2,500 already being closed. A vote on this, organised by the Liberal Democrats, was lost by only 38 votes, indicating a considerable backbench Labour revolt.

Both support and concern have been expressed following the publication of Professor Mike Richards’ report on top-up fees for the Department of Health. I expressed my concern about the inevitable creation of a two-tier health service during the Secretary of State’s statement to the House. To my satisfaction he requested a meeting with me and Professor Richards to discuss my ideas about how to address the concerns from both sides of the argument and so make the system fair to all patients.