To expect MPs to work through Summer?

[CalmShaker]

AIBU to find it odd how there is a shut down of parliament over the Summer?
Something so important as debate on how the country is run closed similar to a school for children?
I'm not saying MPs do not deserve a holiday, but surely there are enough of them to keep things running and have a staggered break?

They do work during the summer. They still do constituency work (at least the decent ones do, we all know there are MPs that try and do as little as possible for their constituents).

But why not a continuation of parliament too, recently there have been so many important issues it feels like it's closed for business

If anything major happens then they are recalled. It happened recently.

They do work over the summer - not all their work is done in Parliament.

You can't have a continuation of normal parliamentary business with only some of them there.

Mine does, he works pretty hard when parliament is in recess.

No i agree they shouldn't shut down like a school

I also dont think alcohol should be available expensive wallpaper shouldn't be allowed and there menu could be cut a bit too

They do.

just not actually in parliament.

a huge amount of their job is representing their constituents and dealing with letters etc. they help people navigate the system.

mps also need time to look at drafting bills and organising parliamentary business.

quite a few of them will also be government minister s -the country still needs running even if parliament is not sitting.

It always seems to run better when they're not about.

Name changed for the thread so not linked to my usual MN name.
MPs deserve a break over the summer like any other profession. As they should be in parliament when it’s sitting so they can speak/vote/sit on committees etc, it makes sense that Parliament takes a break so they can all be off together and nobody misses important business.

The MP I work for works bloody hard with an incredibly packed diary in both Parliament from Monday to Thursday and in the constituency on Fridays and often over the weekend too. S/he has taken a well deserved 3 week holiday over the summer but otherwise it’s still business as usual with casework, surgeries and constituency visits.

Lots of institutions have vacations: the law courts are also in vacation period over summer. It doesn't mean everyone stops working. They do all the business they can't fit in around normal sitting.

(Incidentally, universities are the same. I'm a lecturer and everyone thinks I have summer off when I absolutely don't.)

You're going to lose your mind over conference break.

If MP's are in parliament all through summer then so are a lot of civil servants and MP's staff. As others have said, the MP role is dual - parliament and constituency - the latter is often overlooked in terms of assessing MP's 'performance'

I agree that they don’t need such a long break. They’re barely back two weeks before another month long recess for conference.

Maybe conference season is a bit long, but conferences are a vital part of the political process too, to help set party agendas and policies.

The OP comments that “surely there are enough of them to keep things running and have a staggered break”. However the primary focus of MPs is to debate and vote on legislation, and they would miss out on voting and thereby representing their constituents if they took staggered breaks. I can’t see the party whips going for that suggestion either!

I worked for an MP years ago, having a break makes sense as there’s lots of people not just MPs that are needed in Westminster having a quieter time with the chance to recall in an emergency is a good balance to let people have holidays etc, and gives them more time back in their constituencies, also a good thing

The absence of debates etc doesn't mean nothing is happening .

There's an annual cycle, what you might see of debates is only a small part of the process.

Well my MP is using the summer to knock on constituents doors to find out what local issues they are concerned about. I got quite a surprise when he knocked on my door the other day. It's the first time I've ever experienced that.

How many more laws do you think are needed, and do you think debates are all they do??

There is a long established cycle.

People always want to meddle despite not understanding why things are as they are.

People still work during conference season - government business, the work of the opposition, constituency business are all still ongoing. Legislation is still being drafted, groups/delegations/campaigners still being met.

People always want to meddle despite not understand why things are as they are

And other people like to assume that people who disagree with them do so because they don’t understand.

Do you even understand what parliament is for??

You appear not to understand why the cycle is the way it is.

Parliament only sits for about 33 weeks each year if there is no general election.

Parliament is in recess for 6 weeks in summer, it then sits for 2 weeks and then is in recess for another 4 weeks (for party conferences). It sits for another 3 weeks then is in recess for another week. So in 16 weeks they only sit for 5 weeks.

It is the 4 weeks for party conferences that I find annoying.

It is the 4 weeks for party conferences that I find annoying.
But it is necessary in a democratic system.

And much work still continues during that time, of course.