Yesterday Westminster Flu Day took place in Parliament.

This annual event, which I help to organise along with the UK Vaccine Industry Group, raises awareness of the importance of seasonal flu vaccinations.

This precaution can be especially crucial for older people and others in at-risk groups, for whom the flu could prove life threatening. I was glad to have the support of so many colleagues, and delighted that our efforts also raised a considerable sum which we will be donating to the Disasters Emergency Committee who launch and coordinate responses to major disasters overseas.

Earlier in the week I welcomed a number of MPs from all parties to a breakfast with Lord Green, the Minister for Trade and Investment. We were lucky to be joined by key officials from overseas and this was a great opportunity for colleagues to meet with the Minister before he steps down in December. From this I went on to an interesting meeting with the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation, which followed on from the trade mission I organised to Southeast Asia earlier in the year.

I also met with Sylvia Tijmistra from the Salvation Army to discuss the Employment Plus service in Cradley Heath. This service offers support to local residents who are unemployed by helping with job searches and CV writing. Having already visited the Employment Plus Centre in Lye, this was a valuable opportunity to sit down and discuss their vital work further. I was then pleased to drop into a ‘Birmingham Day’ event in parliament, held by local MPs and BBC WM, which was an excellent way to showcase what the city has to offer.

Unusually, I will be remaining in Parliament tomorrow to try to get my Private Members Bill on drug testing powers in prisons through its second reading.

Currently 55% of prisoners have a reported drug problem upon entering prison, however prison authorities are limited as to which drugs they can test for and my bill would seek to increase their powers and allow them to test for a wider range of the drugs commonly abused by prisoners.

Last week, I was delighted to attend the Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust ‘Committed to Excellence Awards’, and was honoured to present the award to the winner of the Excellence in Patient Care category. It is always good to recognise the high quality of care that hardworking teams at Russells Hall provide.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the students and businesses who came to my Stourbridge Careers Day. We had over 250 pupils and parents there and a really impressive group of businesses on hand to inspire them. It was great to meet so many impressive local students and I hope they found it a valuable experience. With the support of the local schools and colleges I hope to make the Careers Day an annual event.

Next week sees the long awaited opening of Tesco in Stourbridge town centre. I am delighted to have been asked to open the new store next Thursday at 11.00am. I must say the whole area by the clock and at the back around the car park looks great and has transformed that part of the town very much for the better.

Margot can be contacted on 01384 370574 or margot.james.mp@parliament.uk. You can also sign up to her regular newsletter at www.margotjames.com/subscribe or you can write to her at 15-17 Lawn Avenue, Stourbridge, DY8 3UR.