I was delighted to visit Baxter College last week to hear from Dave Seddon about recent successes. 

• I saw the new art department and some of the inspired work being done by A level students. 

• I presented the week's "Top Banana" staff prize to the head cook who had personally made hundreds of pancakes on Shrove Tuesday. 

• I heard about the recent Sports Women David Lloyd PE Teacher of the Year Award won by Cheryl Buckley who has helped to revolutionise the PE department at Baxter. 
  She was congratulated by Dame Kelly Holmes who remembered her own debt to a helpful teacher in her career. 

• I learnt about the successful co-operation between the five heads of our secondary schools as the ContinU Trust that has led to short listing of their application for Diploma Exemplar Funding for Society Health and Development training at Baxter College.

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I was relieved to read Hansard for Friday 27 February to see that the Private Member's Bill calling for Government action to support people with autism passed its Second Reading without my presence. 
Private Members' Bills are only debated on Fridays when I, like most MPs, have pressing engagements in our constituencies. To be successful a Bill has to be first on the list and 100 Members have to be present. This was passed by 131 votes to 25.
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Monday was the second day of the Report Stage and Third Reading Debates of the Political Parties and Elections Bill. 
I was one of 216 MPs to add their names to an amendment that would have meant that donors to a political party would have to be resident in the UK. 
The debate was programmed so that this amendment would not be reached in the time available. Allegations about the motives for this were rife as if an amendment is not debated it cannot be put to the vote …….. Or can it? At the end of the debate other amendments were voted upon as they had been debated and then, amazingly, on a Point of Order, the Deputy Speaker allowed another later amendment that had not been debated to be voted upon. 
This was such a surprise to the whips that it was in effect a free vote and Government and Opposition MPs mixed together in both lobbies according to their own opinions. 

To my great satisfaction this particular amendment, a New Clause, was carried, I suspect, against the Government's wishes. 
Then after a series of Points of Order a different Deputy Speaker had to fend off challenges to allow other amendments that had not been debated, including the one supported by 216 MPs, to be voted upon. 
The challenges were unsuccessful but it has raised questions about Parliamentary procedure. 
I have always thought it unfair that Government amendments even when not debated are always passed but others can never be voted upon ……. Until now!
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Today is World Book Day and is an opportunity to celebrate the work of local libraries which give free access to books and the internet. 
I understand that nearly half of us use libraries and that Arts Council England and the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council would like to see this rise to 60% given the increasing relevance of libraries during the recession.

RT

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