The Blue Print

The new Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow suggested last week that the summer recess period for Parliament was simply too long and impossible to justify http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8273950.stm.

I agree with him.

The challenge for all politicians is to show that we are capable of reforming not just how we behave but how we work. I firmly believe that regardless of me taking a 2 week holiday in August, a 9 week summer recess for Assembly Members is simply too long. For the early part of September many of my constituents were baffled as to why I was out and about in my villages when they expected me to be in the Bay doing the job of arguing their corner in the Senedd.

I am not arguing in favour of a massive cut, in fact the most modest of reform in our recess weeks could be easily achieved throughout the calendar year. But we need to go further, if this Assembly is to have any chance of succeeding as a fully fledged Parliamentary body after a future referendum then we need to get into the routine of sitting for longer, not just for more weeks but for more time during those weeks. My view is that the present protection of Monday as a sort of constituency day is a nonsense, it should be used for committee business and chamber business if required. We should also sit longer in the chamber to allow for more meaningful contributions, and some committees ought to have the flexibility to meet more often.

The Roger Jones review looked at our use of public money, the debate now needs to move onto the use of our time.

Welcome to ‘The Blue Print’, the blog of Jonathan Morgan AM, Conservative Assembly Member for Cardiff North. Check back regularly for information on Cardiff North and news from the Senedd in Cardiff Bay.