Having been back in Parliament for ten days, I have returned to the hustle and bustle of my work as your MP.

I am currently spending a lot of time sitting on the Housing Bill committee, and am hoping to press the minister to make changes or assurances that will impact positively on our very difficult situation here.

I will update you all on progress. But besides the Housing Bill, and a large case load and post bag, my work in Parliament is a mixture of the very practical and strangely ceremonial.

Most of my time is spent on the practical - meetings with ministers, working on parliamentary committees and in my role as the parliamentary aide to the cabinet minister in charge of the country's innovation, universities and skills.

But as a relatively new member I still get to do "firsts" - the first time I do something in Parliament. Just before we broke up for the Christmas break I had another first - I presented a Private Members Bill to Parliament and this one, unlike so many others, is likely to become law.

MPs enter a ballot and the top-20 MPs win the opportunity to introduce a Bill to Parliament. A few, very few, become law because there is not enough time to go through all the stages.

I did not come in the top-20 on this occasion, but a friend of mine, fellow Labour MP Sharon Hodgson from Tyne and Wear came second in the ballot. But on the day that she should have been in Parliament introducing the Bill to the House she was out of the country, and so asked me to stand in for her.

I was delighted because the Bill has a real and commendable aim, which I wholeheartedly support. It will improve education for children with special needs across the country by first getting the information needed on the current prevalence and teaching for dyslexia.

The Special Educational Needs (Information) Bill 2007/8 wants to see specialist dyslexia teaching in every school. Dyslexia, which affects the way people read, is estimated to affect one-in-ten children - but we need accurate figures to assess real need and to give every one of our children a chance of the best possible education. With extra help and support from a specialist, a child's reading age, and therefore overall educational success, can improve dramatically.

Private Members' Bills are introduced by MPs and Lords who are not Government ministers and need to go through the various stages of discussion within the parliamentary year - so most do not make it to the statute book. But, as this came second in the ballot it gets a priority. The second reading is due on February 1, and I hope to be there to speak in support.

Reading is the gateway to knowledge and understanding, and is a critical building block to a child's education. Nothing is more important for the future prosperity of this country than to maximise the potential of all of our young people.

This Bill has the backing of Xtraordinary People - a charitable institution set up to improve dyslexia teaching - as well as other groups. Kate Griggs of Xtraordinary People said: "It is vital that we raise awareness of dyslexia across the whole of the country. Dyslexia is not just difficulty with reading or writing, it has a huge impact on children's learning in all manner of subjects. The best way to promote the talents of everybody would be to train a specialist dyslexia teacher in all schools. We want to strip away any stigma attached to dyslexia - there shouldn't be any!"

I totally agree with Kate, and know how important it is to give all our children every chance of maximising their potential and ensuring a better future for themselves regardless of class, race, needs or ability.

Some Private Members Bills get bogged down in party squabbles, but this one has support from MPs from all the political parties, with its backers including former Home and Education Secretary David Blunkett, John Bercow, Ian Liddell-Grainger and Mark Oaten.

I was honoured to present the Bill to Parliament, and I very much hope it becomes law.

If you have any comments on this, or any other subject, write to me at Lyn Brown MP, House of Commons, London W1A 0AA, e-mail me at brownl@parliament.uk or call my office on (020) 7219 6999.