I WAS delighted to see that the new CT scanner has been installed at Salisbury District Hospital – a testament to the committed fundraising efforts of so many local people.

I have every confidence that, as the STARS appeal prepares to set its sights on a new target, the community will rally round with the same energy and commitment.

I welcome the news that Ashya King and his family were finally able to travel to the Czech Republic to receive the treatment they wanted.

It was regrettable that it took so long for the authorities to withdraw the arrest warrant once it became clear that the parents were acting out of desperation and with Ashya’s best interests at heart.

Many commentators have been critical of the fact that the family felt obliged to flee the country to secure what they believed to be the best treatment for their son.

However, it should be noted that thousands of cancer patients have been treated overseas with proton beam therapy – fully funded by the NHS.

For whatever reason, the medics treating Ashya at Southampton had not put him forward as a candidate for it.

Time will have the last word on whether that judgement is shown to have been flawed but I am instinctively sympathetic to the medical profession, who have so many difficult judgement calls to make in the interests of all of the patients in their care.

On Wednesday Parliament finally had the opportunity to debate recent events in the Middle East.

There have been many calls for the international response to involve regional players with greater knowledge of the terrain and cultural and religious sensitivities in play.

It seems to me that only a comprehensive solution can deal with people whose interpretation of Islam is anathema to the vast majority of Muslims.

“IS” are analogous to a cult – beyond the reach of reason and requiring subtle psychological treatment – not just military intervention.

I will be kept in London on Friday for a Private Member’s Bill, but I will be back in time to help open Wilton’s business fair at The Shopping Village with the Mayor Phil Matthews on Saturday morning.