I was staggered to discover, after a quick search of the Internet (sometimes useless, sometimes useful, always irritating) that our House of Commons will only sit for 135 days this year. That's according to the downloadable, printable version of the House of Commons Calendar 2008 to be found at www.parl.gc.ca

Which turned out, upon further investigation, to actually be the calendar for the Parliament of Canada. Whoops. As a colleague said: "You nearly had egg on your face."

There are certain inherent dangers in research on the Internet. One of the most obvious being you could end up anywhere in the world.

Geography never was my strong point and I have no sense of direction!
You will probably know, however, that our Parliament, the one in London, has been busy rushing issues through for the past few days, before the summer recess.

That actually begins today, July 22. The House rises, as they put it, today, and doesn't return again until Monday, October 6 – the best part of 11 weeks later. That's even longer than the school summer holiday.

Normally only the outbreak of war will drag MPs back.

If we go back to the start of the year the House returned on Monday, January 7, having "broken up" for Christmas on Tuesday, December 18, 2007. So that was the best part of three weeks off.

Half term recess – Thursday, February 7 to Monday, February 18 – measured up to a further week and a bit.

Thursday, April 3, marked the beginning of the Easter recess, with it all being over more than a fortnight later on Monday, April 21. Easter, proper, as the rest of us recognise it, began on Good Friday, March 21, until the bank holiday on Easter Monday four days later. I don't know why Parliament's Easter recess actually missed Easter, but I suspect MPs probably had Good Friday and Easter Monday off as well.

And then there was Whitsun recess from Thursday, May 22, (don't like Fridays, do they?) until Monday, June 2.

That's more than 18 weeks when running the country is left to civil servants.

It's impossible for me to know what MPs get up to during the 18 weeks that they are not required to be sitting in the House. I have to say it appears from TV screening of Commons' debates that it seems there are lots of times when the House is sitting when there are precious few MPs there anyway.

Of course, sitting in the debating chamber is but a small part of an MP's duty. He or she will spend most of their time busy in their constituency, or busy in other areas other than the House, on constituency business.

But... there's always a but... 18 weeks of official non-business (if I can put it that way) seems excessive to ordinary people working in ordinary businesses when non-business time for them is normally five weeks a year, two together in the summer, plus statutory bank holidays and weekends.

MPs might want to consider that, like perceived abuse of expenses, employing own family members and setting their own pay and pensions, 18 weeks' recess (a cessation of business, such as the closure of Parliament during a vacation – Collins English Dictionary, my naughty emphasis) leaves them open to criticism.

It would be interesting to know if it is set down anywhere what holiday entitlement (not recess, but proper time off, by the seaside if that's what floats their boat) MPs have – my five weeks is in my contract of employment.

Otherwise, like teachers, it's difficult to know what to do with MPs during business holidays if it proves they are not gainfully employed.
Any suggestions? For teachers as well as MPs?

Write: Purfleet, Lynn News, Limes House, Purfleet Street, King's Lynn, PE30 1HL.

Email: purfleet@lynnnews.co.uk