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Business of the House

Again, my hon. Friend is conscientious about holding Ministers to account, whether or not the House is sitting. He writes to Ministers regularly, and they reply to him: that has always been a way of holding the Government to account during recesses. My hon. Friend the Member for Sunderland, South (Mr. Mullin) said that a wholly different perception about September sittings prevails outside the House. However, hon. Members consistently tell me that in that period they are able to attend events, meetings and organisations in their constituencies in a way that is simply not possible when the House is sitting. My hon. Friend has made observations about this matter to the media on a number of occasions, and he may need to make it clear that hon. Members work in their constituencies as well as in the Chamber of the House of Commons. That is an important point to get across.