A FEW days into the New Year and I am right back into the swing of things!

I was in the office at 9am on January 2nd to plan my latest intervention on behalf of Reza Maghsoudi, the young Afghan national who is facing deportation.

His many allies in Salisbury have been fighting compassionately and tirelessly to help him regularise his immigration status so that he can continue with the life he has built here – the dear friends he has made and the skills he has learned.

A decision is due and I have been keen to once again ensure that the case is on the personal radar of the minister so that the significant new evidence that has come to light in recent weeks can be taken into account.

As you read this, I am on a ministerial engagement in Worcester, following a visit to the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford upon Avon on Wednesday evening.

On Friday, as well as a full advice surgery, I will be meeting with representatives of Salisbury’s arts organisations over their planned merger. This is one of those occasions when my constituency role and my ministerial remit overlap and I hope to be well placed to assist them with unlocking any information or assistance they may need.

One of my immediate priorities for the New Year will be to continue my work on so-called ‘not spots’. Gaps in broadband and mobile infrastructure cause continuing frustration to householders and inhibit the growth of rural and home businesses.

The local authority subsidised roll-out has brought improvements but the remaining pockets which are either remote or hard to serve by conventional means urgently need bespoke solutions.

In particular, I want to make sure that my department’s attention is focussed on the great progress made in the Chalke Valley towards proactively defining the valley’s requirements and identifying the type of technology that can best fulfil them.

I hope that the fact that my office is a couple of doors down from the digital minister’s will help them build on the excellent work they have done and blaze a trail for similar communities elsewhere.

To that end, I am meeting south Wiltshire’s representative on the LEP at the end of this week and, before heading back to London, I am looking forward to what is certain to be a lively Q&A with young people on Bemerton Heath.