I was pleased to be invited with four other MPs to tea at No.10 by Cherie Blair and to take with me three young people between 9 and 15, each with a parent. 
To select the children I drew three Middle Schools out of a hat and then asked the head teachers to choose a representative. Laura Alton (12) from Sion Hill, David Clarke (13) from St. John's and David Richardson (12) from St. Anne's were the three selected. 

The first excitement was a huge demonstration in Whitehall blocking the normal entrance to Downing Street and so we were allowed in through the Foreign & Commonwealth Office on the next street. 
Inside we were impressed with the spaciousness and grandeur of No.10 behind the apparently small façade. 
After tea and cakes Cherie talked to each group of children and I was impressed with her warmth and genuine interest in the visitors and their responses. I had to leave before the others who stayed for a tour of No.10.

I have had one of my occasional meetings with representatives of the National Farmers Union and heard of their work towards diversification and niche marketing. 
Even to enroll at entry level into the Government's Environmental Stewardship scheme is proving frustrating because of difficulty obtaining the necessary digital maps. 
I heard that District Council planning rules are just not keeping pace with diversification aims and that we are behind other countries in the development of non food and energy crops. For example, even though we grow oil seed rape, we export this to Germany for processing and then re-import the resulting biodiesel because it is cheaper to do this than to produce the fuel ourselves because of advantageous subsidies abroad. 
I heard about the ongoing problems for sugar beet growers and dairy farmers and I will highlight all these concerns with Ministers.

I have continued my visits to Middle Schools and learnt how staff are preparing for the hugely complicated changes to come without disadvantaging the children most affected. 
Most of the head teachers for the new schools to be formed in September 2007 have now been appointed. 
There are concerns about other members of staff, not only teaching staff, who in due course will have to apply for jobs in the new schools. It is not surprising but worrying that some of our very good teachers are applying for jobs elsewhere rather than facing the uncertainty of job applications here which cannot be processed immediately.

I also met members of Amnesty International who alerted me to their concerns about human rights issues in Burma, Israeli occupied territories and Nigeria. As their members know well 'Early Day Motions' on these and other issues in the Commons are effective ways of conveying messages to the Government especially if large numbers of MPs sign them.