I have been busy in Parliament in the last fortnight, sponsoring a Ten Minute Rule Bill which aims to halt the explosion of binge drinking by stopping the sale of cut price alcohol, and in working to set up a cross-party parliamentary group on Gurkha Rights.

Getting back to the Commons on Monday after the half-term break it was straight into the hot issues of the moment.

The British Canoe Union (B.C.U) have been up to their old tricks and have managed again to persuade a few of my fellow MPs to table a House of Commons Early Day Motion on river access for non-powered craft.

After the excitement of the local elections which saw Labour win five of the seven Reading Borough Council wards in my constituency it has been back to normal for myself and my staff.

Here’s a story you won’t read in any national newspaper. Labour won the local elections in Reading last Thursday and once again bucked the national trend.

I ended the coarse fishing season with two outings in the company of members of the All Party Parliamentary Angling Group.

At the risk of sounding slightly tragic I’m one of the few people I know who will admit to actually enjoying canvassing voters at election time.

I would like to begin by congratulating the Conservatives’ spin-doctors on hoodwinking a number of people into thinking that their Commons motion last week could have prevented some of the post office closures in Reading when in fact the precise opposite was the case.

Last month it was my pleasure to organise and host the 6th National Angling Summit in the House of Commons with new Fisheries Minister Jonathan Shaw MP.

At the weekend I agreed to take part on a Radio 5 Live discussion on MP’s allowances and the funding of accommodation in London through the Additional Cost Allowance (A.C.A.).