Monday was Holocaust Memorial Day, marking the 69th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau, the site of the largest mass murder in history.

I was honoured to be present at the Cenotaph in Swindon to mark the occasion, and was especially pleased to see large numbers of young people there.

It’s important that the events of the 1930s and 40s are not forgotten as the years pass.

We must not just remember, but learn lessons from history to prevent it being repeated in our lifetimes.

Genocide is still happening in parts of the world today so it’s important that we come together to fight it.

That was one of the themes at an excellent meeting of the Broadgreen Organisation for Neighbourhood Development I attended on Saturday.

There really is a sense of the community in that diverse area pulling together in an echo of the message we heard at the Cenotaph.

I also signed the Holocaust Educational Trust’s Book of Commitment in the House of Commons, honouring those who died as well as the extraordinary survivors who work tirelessly to educate young people.

We must never forget that awful chapter in our history.

Moving on now to another issue, and tomorrow I’m delighted to be hosting a major event to discuss the care and support of young people with Special Educational Needs (SEN) in Swindon. Representatives of the council, various support groups and many parents will be gathering to discuss a range of issues. Of particular concern will be the implementation of the reforms outlined in the Children and Families Bill.

I’ve long campaigned for improvements in the support we provide for children with SEN as well as their parents and carers.

Many more families than we realise are affected, and that’s why we should all welcome the news that things now seem to be moving forward.

The Government has published a revised Code of Practice which sets out the statutory guidance for workers and carers in this area. For the first time this code covers the age range from 0 to 25 and is very clear about the expectations from education, health and social care professionals to ensure that every individual has their needs met across all services.

The Code of Practice will come into force on September 1 this year.