I HAD a ringside seat for the exciting events in the chamber last Wednesday when the flour bomb glanced off the Prime Minister's back.

Ridiculously, the first thought that struck me was what a powerful and accurate throw it was.

After this, members left the chamber in leisurely fashion without any obvious recognition of the potential seriousness of the situation.

This episode has done the House of Commons a power of good. Firstly it has led to a recognition that anyone could walk into the Palace of Westminster carrying anything lethal secreted about their person in a position not accessible to the genteel body-frisking that is permitted and that is not radio opaque.

A second lesson is that none of us actually recognised, until this happened, that an attack on the heart of our democracy with lethal poisonous gas or infective agents was actually possible.

Because of our stance on Iraq we are at risk of attack from fanatical terrorists who know no limitation on moral grounds thought normal to the rest of us.

I am waiting to see the effect on parliamentary life of the very necessary increased security particularly for the Prime Minister and Cabinet members.

It was good to go to the Bewdley Mayor Making last weekend and to see, even at a time approaching local elections, that all the Bewdley town councillors present, whatever their political party, could support the election of Tony Williams as Mayor.

The dedication of the new mayor and the council to the good of the people of Bewdley was heartening to hear.

I have been approached by a number of parents with dissatisfactions with the appeal process after they have failed to obtain a place for their children in the school of their choice

Unfortunately these appeal panels work within a very narrow remit.

A recent letter from the Team Leader of Pupil Admissions and Transfers states: "An appeal can only be successful if an appeal panel decides that:

a) The decision was not one which a reasonable admission authority would make in the circumstances of the case; or

b) The child would have been offered a place if the admission arrangements had been properly implemented".

It goes on to state that the appeal panel is not able to take account of personal factors, including personal preference.

Most of the people who come to me have very real personal reasons for their preferences but as it stands these cannot be addressed by appeal panels. I aim to find out if this is universal or unique to our county.

To end on a more optimistic note, the genuine improvements in one of our senior schools has meant that I have had no recent letters from dissatisfied parents complaining that it was the only option available for their children.

In contrast in 2001 I received several.