27 JANUARY 2005 

This week the national press has attacked MPs for implied laziness and for planning to vote to return to the old working hours in the House of Commons and thus to reduce their hours of work from four to three days per week. 
Although as in any profession there must be some lazy MPs I believe Members of all Parties with whom I have regular contact work very hard.

Here are some of the figures quoted [Ed]

Parliamentary Figures putting Tony Blair's voting-record into perspective

The voting record for Dr. Taylor IKHC Wyre Forest is more than ten times better than that of the Prime Minister!

First the working days in London account for only half of the working week of an MP. Constituency work including surgeries, meetings, visits and some social events that are virtually obligatory, and the paper work involved can take up many hours. In London whether the formal sittings of the House start at 2.30pm or 11.30am I arrive almost always by 8.30 am or before and I see many others already there. Meetings can start over breakfast and these are some of the best attended. Select and Standing Committee meetings are a heavy commitment in time often during mornings and preceded by hours of preparation. 
If one wishes to speak in a main debate many hours can be lost waiting to catch the Speaker’s eye and one cannot leave before speaking or the chance is lost. Adjournment debates are much better as they are limited to 30 or 90 minutes but again preparation time has to be considered.

I have two main reasons for wishing to return to the old hours (2.30pm to 10pm on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays and 11.30am to 7pm on Thursdays). These are that when debates finish and divisions therefore are held at 10.00pm, MPs have time after 7pm when extra meetings have finished and secretaries have left, to catch up with the issue under debate before the vote takes place. 
For an Independent without a whip this is doubly important as I attempt to vote knowing the arguments on both sides of the question. 
The other reason is that it is easier to attend extra meetings, for example All-Party Group meetings, if these are completed before the concluding speeches in a debate and if they are not interrupted by votes. One of the most important meetings of the All-Party Local Hospital Group attended by the President and Vice-President of the Royal College of Physicians was rendered unproductive, and extremely embarrassing for me as the organiser, by continual divisions calling Members away for at least 15 minutes each time.

I can understand London MPs wishing for more contact with their families but those of us from out of London sacrifice this in any case when we are in London and I suspect most of us work late in our offices or in the excellent House of Commons Library rather than returning to our temporary homes here.

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