I RETURNED to Westminster this week. Although Parliament is not formally sitting until next week, there are lots of preparatory meetings to take and admin tasks to sort out – not least participating in the controversy-free election of the Speaker, and getting myself sworn in again!

My postbag is already full of speculation about the detail of the Queen’s Speech that will be delivered next week – questions that I look forward to being able to answer.

I think it is absolutely right that the Prime Minister used his first major speech to focus on the NHS, taking the opportunity to reconfirm the pledges he made during the campaign to meet its funding demands and to deliver a consistently high-quality 24/7 service to patients by recruiting more GPs.

I think that compassion and social justice must also be at the heart of the agenda if we are to deliver on the commitment to give everyone the opportunity of living a fulfilling and good life.

It is right that we will legislate to ensure that those who work 30 hours a week on the minimum wage will not pay tax, helping families out of the vicious cycle of state dependency and adding weight to the principle that those who can work should, and those who can’t will be supported.

It is imperative we build on the lessons of initiatives such as the Troubled Families programme. This scheme worked with families who, for complex reasons, cost the public sector large sums dealing with their problems on a reactive basis.

Working across six governmental departments, as of February, the Troubled Families programme had turned around the lives of 105,671 families.

Employing a range of intervention practices, tThis programme is an example of the true social justice and genuine compassion that David Cameron has directed his cabinet to offer and I anticipate more initiatives along these lines.

Meanwhile my constituency workload is already back to normal. My second advice surgery since the election takes place on Friday and I also look forward to visiting a care home, catching up on hospital matters and attending the opening event of this year’s Salisbury Festival.