Like an enormous great steam engine Parliament has started to puff, whistle, shriek and groan into action once again. Two weeks ago we had the re-election of the Speaker, after which MPs were all sworn in. And last week saw the State Opening, full of tradition and flummery and ermine.

One huge change is already evident: the impact of the Scottish Nationalist Party. The SNP arrived in the Chamber en masse on the first day, and promptly parked their tanks on Labour's lawn, taking up key benches on the opposition side which had belonged to Labour until the last election.

They even tried to evict Dennis Skinner from his seat on the bottom bench below the gangway, but—perhaps inevitably—failed. It takes a lot more than that to move the so-called "Beast of Bolsover"!

The Queen's Speech itself covered some 27 new Bills. These ranged from large, headline-grabbing items like the EU Referendum Bill and further fiscal devolution for Scotland, to measures to improve childcare, cap taxes, counter extremism, and curb undesirable immigration.

Many of these should be of real value to Herefordshire, and to Ross-on-Wye: in particular, the measures to assist small business, cap or reduce taxation, improve apprenticeships, support policing, increase devolved powers and ban so-called "legal highs" are all welcome.

But one thing is for sure: the sheer size of the new government's legislative programme will keep MPs all busy round the clock for the next year or so.

Jesse Norman MP for Hereford and South Herefordshire