I HAVE just returned from a brief visit to Brussels as a part of the Health Committee's inquiry into sexual health.

We met the European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Affairs, who explained the limited powers of the commission. It cannot become involved with the delivery of healthcare in member states but does have an advisory role and plans to produce a guide to best practice for sexual health measures across Europe.

We learnt to our sadness that the incidence of teenage pregnancies and abortions in England and Wales are by far the highest among EU members. One aim of our inquiry must be to discover reasons for this.

I have been shown round Kidderminster Fire Station by members of Blue Watch who impressed me with their enthusiasm and dedication. I learnt that firemen do much more than fight fires. They are heavily involved in education of school children and others in fire prevention measures. They share partnerships with other safety agencies and in their inspections can pick up risk factors, for example, for falls in the elderly. Retained firemen are valued firefighters but less available for prevention work due to other commitments.

Visiting the Wyre Forest Scouts' Jubilee Camp at Rhydd Covert last Saturday was another eye opener.

Here 40 acres of grass and woodland provide splendid facilities for camping and outdoor activities that members of the Scouts of all ages and both sexes can enjoy. Between 700 and 800 were accommodated on separate sites elaborately decorated to represent different countries. Activities included panning for gold, cooking fish in damp newspaper, target practice with pea shooters, obstacle races and crossing imaginary rivers where referees had water guns to drench competitors if even a foot strayed into the imaginary water.

I was grateful to Leigh from KD8 and Dan from Tenbury who took time off from the activities to show me round. Their enjoyment of the event was a great advertisement to other young people looking for exciting opportunities.

I attended two annual events that always add to Wyre Forest's profile. The Bewdley Festival to be held in October was launched and we were excited to hear that Julian Lloyd Webber, Cleo Laine and Johnnie Dankworth, Paul Daniels and Tony Benn among others will be coming.

This week is Alzeimers Awareness Week. The Alzheimers Society is campaigning for the early detection of dementia so that patients and their carers can be put in touch with help and support much earlier than at present.

This is so necessary as one person in 20 over the age of 65 (one in five over 80) has dementia!