This week’s Queen’s Speech marked the start of the final session of this Parliament, before the General Election next May.

Her Majesty set out details of the bills the Coalition Government is tabling, and which my colleagues and I will debate, scrutinise and vote on over the course of the coming year.

They include further big reforms to make the pensions system fairer, pioneered by Liberal Democrat Pensions Minister Steve Webb.

Liberal Democrats in Government have already introduced our promised ‘triple lock’, which has increased the state pension by a record £15.45 a week since the General Election.

The Pensions Act, signed into law last month, will also replace the current, complex system with a single, simple state pension of around £150 a week.

Building on those improvements, the Coalition Government is now removing the need to be tied into buying annuities, to give people more flexibility over how and when they access the money they have saved in their pension pots.

I am a member of the cross-party committee of MPs that meets for two days a week to scrutinise the Finance Bill, which introduces elements of these reforms.

The Queen also announced a Bill to allow savers to contribute to collective pension schemes, reducing the risks and lowering administration costs to give people greater certainty and better value in their pensions.

Another Bill will introduce reforms to make sure publicans get a fairer deal from big pub companies, announced by Liberal Democrat Ministers Nick Clegg and Vince Cable earlier on this week.

This is something I have discussed in Parliament with Campaign for Real Ale members from Wiltshire.

Other bills introduce Liberal Democrat proposals to require that all new homes built from 2016 onwards will be zero carbon homes; and for a 5p charge on plastic bags – as called for in a petition handed to me by Climate Friendly Bradford on Avon last year, which I presented to the Environment Secretary with my full support.

At ten months this will be a short Parliamentary session, but contrary to earlier speculation, it’s still going to be a busy one.

My next constituency surgeries will be at The Pound Arts Centre in Corsham on Friday (12.30pm-2pm) and at Melksham Town Hall on Saturday from 9.30am to 11am.