Lazy MPs

Margaret Hodge is a Labour MP and Chairperson of the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee. 

I don't know her personally, but I admire the work she does in the House of Commons - which appears to be serious and non-partisan, by and large - and the fact that she speaks her mind.

Just the other day she told the Guardian newspaper:

“We are living through the worst economic crisis in modern times, MPs have a lot to do and yet we are spending much of our time in recess.”

Apparently, MPs sat for 296 days a year between May 2010 and May 2012 - according to Commons library papers - compared with 304 days from 2006 to 2008.

The Public Accounts Committee is charged with scrutinising public spending - with the aim of ensuring that taxpayers get value for money and warming to her theme Margaret Hodge added that the public would be forgiven:

“for thinking that it is MPs who are lazy and that it is Parliament that is failing to provide good value for money”.

Yes indeed and this former Labour minister drew support from a surprising quarter - in the shape of John Redwood - the former Conservative Cabinet minister - who agreed with Margaret Hodge’s criticism while noting that any plans to extend hours at Westminster would not be popular among MPs.

Well it's not necessarily about extending hours - but increasing the number of days and weeks that MPs spend at Westminster doing their primary job of bringing in new legislation or amending existing legislation - such as the Proceeds of Crime Act - to make it more effective.

So, hands up - Do you agree that MPs should spend more time at Westminster and less time swanning around their constituencies?

I thought so - a huge majority of people, just as you would expect.