3rd Feb 2006

IT'S easy for backbench MPs to feel dwarfed in Westminster. Government and shadow cabinet ministers always speak first in debates. Then come members of the Privy Council, and it's only after they've all said their piece that the rest of us can try to make a difference to the way the country is run.

But sometimes, even newly-elected
backbenchers can turn the ship of state a tiny bit. Last week I was lucky enough to win the fortnightly lottery for backbench debates. That meant I could choose any subject I liked, and the Government had to send a minister along to respond.

I chose drug treatment centres in Weston. I'd promised to do something about them in the General Election, and I thought it might surprise a few people to see a politician
honouring a campaign pledge.

To make a debate count, you have to
prepare carefully. I sent details of what I
was going to say in advance to Caroline Flint, the minister who was representing the Government. It was important she knew I wasn't trying to make party-political points, and that she had time to think through the issues in advance.

When you really care about something, time flies by. The debate lasted half an hour, but it felt like 10 minutes. By the end, the minister had committed the Government to support the aims of the Cleaner Weston Campaign and to apply them to other parts of the country with drug treatment centres too.
I was delighted. The Government's
commitment will give drug addicts
everywhere a better chance to rebuild their lives. It shows that Weston is leading the way in dealing with the problems of drug addiction. But best of all, it puts the town back on the path to success. Ever forward.