Comments on: MPs locked out for 11 weeks

By: Recess negative: it's not perfect, but the portrayal of parliament as a government puppet bears little resemblance to reality - Parliament & Government

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 11:07:00 +0000

[...] Some MPs argue that the break provides valuable time to catch up on important constituency work. Others, like John Redwood, disagree. Most political insiders seem to think it is too [...]

By: APL

APL — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 10:56:55 +0000

JR: "The Cabinet is limited to just over 20 Ministers – the rest are Ministers of State or PUSSs."

Even so, it is a method to control parliament, with 20 ministers who have influence over all the MOS or PUSSs. There is a huge block of the government party who can be relied on to vote 'the right way'.

Do you agree the Ministers of State should really be high ranking civil service appointments, likewise the Private undersecretary of State? (what I guess a PUSS is – in the context of Parliament )

Reply: No, I think Junior Ministers including Parliamentary Under Secretaries should be MPs who are accountable to Parliament. They do most of the detailed Parliamentary work on legislaiton.

By: Acorn

Acorn — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 07:49:09 +0000

James G. Retired but not out of touch. I had a quite diverse ward as a Councillor, with a "Council" estate – to use the old definition – with an "index of multiple deprivation" down in the bottom 20%. As my then party had and still has a policy of delivering leaflets regularly with my contact details on them, I was one of the first to get called when there was a problem.

The second and last paras of your 6:53 post, I would not disagree with and my number one job was explaining who had the "remit" and who to talk too. My top two casework problems were housing – overcrowded households – and benefits. Neither I or the MP, could do much about either. All we could do is pray for a lot more, four / five bedroom council houses.

I did learn one thing. When you take casework like the latter to Senior Officers and they give you a silent, grimaced look; that means "you really don't want to get involved with this case Councillor, it is not going to end well; by the way, have you met Sid from our Fraud Department".

By: James G

James G — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 18:53:24 +0000

Acorn, "invariably" you say?

If I were a PR man like Cameron I would call that comment "out of touch".

Also people in Labour constituencies (perhaps unlike Tory ones) don't know what is the remit of the council, the MP or a particular Government Department and usually their most high profile elected official (their MP) is who they turn too.

I think you cannot deny that Labour MPs have much more constituency work than Tory ones. You need only look at the figures showing how many Labour MPs are employing 'caseworkers' and how many Tories are employing 'researchers'. Labour constituencies have more casework.

By: John Birkett

John Birkett — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 14:36:07 +0000

I have long thought it ridiculous that recesses were so long but my published newspaper letters have never had the courtesy of a reply from MPs or MSPs. Every other organisation in the UK manages to stagger its personnel's holidays while continuing its operations. Only our MPs are so pusillanimous and/or incompetent that they are incapable even of that – and don't blame it on the govt, it is up to our MPs to put their own house in order and to show the executive that they are masters in their own House. As said, govt keeps going 24/7/52 so the legislature's control over it needs to be the same, especially by the committes, other than maybe two weeks p.a. for planned building maintenance.
But certainly less might mean better (apart from scrutiny of EU directives) so how about 400 MPs sitting 3 days for 8 hours on UK business, with the 350 English MPs also sitting the other 2 days as the English legislature?

Reply: I broadly agree and have set out a similar approach. Yes, MPs could demand more sensible sittings, but the Labour majority is guided by the governemnt and have no wish to change.

By: William B.

William B. — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 02:32:33 +0000

I know not whether Labour MPs for poorer urban areas have a greater constituency workload than Conservative MPs, but even if that is so it does not seem much of a reason for a summer break from Parliament of 11 weeks. If their workload is so heavy that they need 9 extra weeks in the summer to deal with it (we can give them the other two weeks as a holiday) it would seem to follow that their constituents are let down terribly for the rest of the year. That of itself is sufficient reason to abandon the 11 week break and arrange the Parliamentary sessions around the reasonable requirements of members from all constituencies.

By: Sepoy Agent

Sepoy Agent — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 01:10:09 +0000

Regarding the guillotine on discussion of legislation, that has nothing to do with lack of parliamentary time, but everything to do this government wanting to limit the amount of opposition to what it is proposing.
I am afraid I incline towards the view that we are better off with parliament sitting less. Perhaps we should return to the medieval/tudor/stuart model of parliament being called together only when needed to pass specific legislation or more likely to raise taxation.
That would fit in with part-time MPs and give them the chance to do a proper job as well, thereby giving them experience of the outside world.
And, as has been said, we could cut the number of MPs to take account of the fact that domestic policy is largely considered by the Scotland/Wales/NI parliaments, and will be by the English parliament when we get a fair system here.

By: Tim

Tim — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 23:41:11 +0000

John – I read Hansard and your website. I know that not only do you attend Parliament, you attend debates, speak in debates and frequently ask questions. Your website shows you to be thoughtful and enquiring about current issues.

I absolutely agree – why shoudl Parliament take so long off? I understand everyone (including Prome Ministers!) need holidays but this is ridiculous.

I know nothing of Parliamentary procedure. Couldn't you as an active backbencher propose to Parliament less holidays? Go on give it a try !

Reply: I have, but there the Labour majority do not want to shorten the holidays.

By: Iain

Iain — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 21:21:31 +0000

"This government has sidelined Parliament, its favourite for announcements appears to be the BBC. "

There was a classic today where Ed Vasey got on the radio to dicuss Brown's Eco Towns only to find the BBC had been given the Governments new thinking on it while Parliament were still in the dark.

By: Acorn

Acorn — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 20:31:39 +0000

James, the REAL problems as you say, in Labour seats are invariably problems for the Department for Work and Pensions, MPs can do little but write to the appropriate DWP Minister. The MP will receive a pro-forma reply.

By the way; 4×4; to the DWP, means four children by four different fathers. They are not vote winners on the door step in any constituency.