Parliament recess meaning: Parliament to shut up shop TOMORROW - when will it end?
PARLIAMENT breaks up several times each year. Parliament is due to break for parliamentary recess tomorrow, but what does that actually mean?
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Parliament takes roughly eight breaks each year. The precise dates and timings of recesses change each year according to the year’s calendar. These are announced by the Leader of the House. Currently, the House of Commons is in a two year session, having started with the state opening in 2017. But with Parliament due to close tomorrow, what does recess actually mean and when will the break begin and end?
Each year, parliamentary sessions begin in May or June and are marked by the State Opening of Parliament when the Queen visits Westminster to deliver a speech outlining the government’s plans for the upcoming year.
A session typically lasts 12 months but can be extended - which is what happened with the 2017 session.
The 2017 session was extended by a year in order to continue with plans to deliver Brexit.
So what is a parliamentary recess?
A recess is a break during the parliamentary session when neither the House of Commons or the House of Lords meets to conduct business.
There are usually several recesses throughout a session and usually include Christmas, Easter and Summer. Recess is formally known as a periodic adjournment.
So far in the 2017 session, these recesses have taken place:
- Summer: July 20, 2017 - September 5, 2017
- Conference: September, 14, 2017 - October 9, 2017
- November: November 7, 2017 - November 13, 2017
- Christmas: December 21, 2017 - January 8, 2018
- February: February 8, 2018 - February 20, 2018
- Easter: March 29, 2018 - April 16, 2018
- May: May 3, 2018 - May 8, 2018
- Whitsun: May 24, 2018 - June 4, 2018
- Summer: July 24, 2018 - September 4, 2018
- Conference: September 13, 2018 - October 9, 2018
- November: November 6, 2018 - November 12, 2018
- Christmas: December 20, 2018 - January 7, 2019
- Easter: April 11, 2019 - April 23, 2019
- May: May 2, 2019 - May 7, 2019
- Whitsun: May 23, 2019 - June 4, 2019
At the end of July each year, parliament takes a six-week long break over the summer.
This year, the House of Commons will break for the six-week summer recess on Thursday, July 25, 2019.
Parliament will then reconvene on Tuesday, September 3 - making it the longest break in the parliamentary calendar.
MPs and peers normally undertake a two-week break at Christmas and Easter, in addition to one week in mid-February and a further week at the end of May.
During the average week, MPs tend to sit for four days, but MPs do not have to be present at Parliament for these hours.
The hours are:
- Monday: 2.30pm-10:30pm
- Tuesday: 11:30am-7:30pm
- Wednesday: 11:30am-7:30pm
- Thursday: 9:30am-5:30pm
When important Commons business is light, MPs are able to engage in other activities such as travel abroad on fact-finding trips or even carry out other jobs such as Labour MP Karen Lee who works as a nurse or Conservative MP Dan Poulter who does shifts as a doctor.
What do MPs do during recess?
When Parliament is not sitting, MPs work in their constituencies - holding surgeries and managing with constituency casework and correspondence, as well as possibly working on other party matters and attending local events.
MPs can also go on holiday during this time.