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Business of the House

I assure my hon. Friend that it is also a significant factor in the Hoon household, so I take her point very seriously. I have to say, however, that most of the criticism directed at the House is not that we are shortening the summer recess, but that we have far too long a summer recess. I recognise that that has provided significant opportunities for right hon. and hon. Members not only to spend more time with their families, but, crucially, to spend more time in their constituencies. That is something that we need to bear in mind. I assure my hon. Friend that the question of summer vacations is taken into account as we look at the dates for parliamentary sittings, but I also draw to her attention the consistent complaints from our Scottish colleagues that the summer recess very rarely takes account of Scottish summer holidays, so it cannot be an exact process that will satisfy everyone.