AS your local MP, I’m often contacted by my constituents about Human Rights, writes South Swindon MP ROBERT BUCKLAND.

I have long had a personal interest in this subject, both as a lawyer and as Chair of the Conservative Human Rights Commission. My work as a criminal law barrister, prosecuting and defending for nearly twenty years before my election, lay at the heart of my work.

An emerging issue of interest is the rights of children. I believe that all children must enjoy all the rights and protections of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) without discrimination, as specified under Article 2 of the Convention.

This country is a world leader with regards to protecting the rights of our children, but we must continue working to ensure that their voice is heard.

I was delighted to welcome the winners of The Wiltshire Global Education Centre’s (WGEC) Global Spotlight Competition from Westlea Primary School to Westminster last Wednesday. The Year 5 and 6 students delivered a fantastic presentation on children’s rights and followed up with some excellent questions on both local and national issues. I am sure that they’ll make Swindon even more proud in the years to come.

I also attended and spoke at a well-attended event last week, organised by a national charity for families with disabled children, called Contact A Family. The charity provides information, advice and support to parents and carers, and helps to bring families together. They also campaign to improve their circumstances, and for greater inclusion in mainstream society. I met a number of families and was moved by many of the stories shared with me.

In Swindon, my constituency team and I thoroughly enjoyed the Goan Summer Festival at the Country Athletics Ground, an event which highlights the town’s success as a home to diverse communities where people live, work and play together, whatever their backgrounds.

Around 2,000 people attended the festival, with music, dance, delicious food, sunshine, and plenty of colour on offer. I have worked closely with the Goan community over the years on a variety of issues.

As I told the festival’s organisers, I am looking forward to continuing this work and highlighting the community’s valuable place in our town. They are continuing to integrate well into British culture and are a real asset to Swindon. It was an extremely successful day, organised very well by members of the Goan Swindon Association, and I was delighted to have been invited.

I recently moved into a new constituency branch office on Wood Street, and soon I’ll be launching a brand new website!

The new site is designed to make it easier for my constituents to contact me and find information about upcoming advice surgeries.

It’ll also include regular local news, as well as things that I’m involved in outside of the constituency in Parliament. There will also be information about the role of MPs and Government Ministers, which I hope young people and newcomers to politics will find useful.

Please do not hesitate to contact my Swindon team on 01793 533393 if you would like to attend one of my regular advice surgeries, and keep your eyes peeled for an announcement on the new site soon!