The Lords rose this evening, just after 6.30 p.m., following the announcement of Royal 
Assent to several measures, including what is now the Political Parties and Elections Act and the Parliamentary Standards Act. The Commons will rise shortly following a debate on the motion for a summer adjournment. Both Houses will return on Monday 12 October.
I did a post last year on the subject of a long summer recess and whether we should sit more frequently. Readers were generally of the view that it would make sense for Parliament to avoid a long break and to utilise more time sitting to question and debate, though not necessarily use the time to pass more legislation.
Last night, on Third Reading of the Parliamentary Standards Bill, one Labour peer said she had not voted for my motion following Second Reading because it would have meant that we would not have considered the Bill in detail until October. That may have been a consequence but it could have been avoided: we could have sat for longer in July or come back during September. On the Lords side, we could even have sat during the party conference season.
Given the low public standing of Parliament, there may be an even stronger case now for parliamentarians spending more time at Westminster.
I think you are certainly on the right track. Today I came across a new campaign on that very subject: http://38degrees.org.uk/page/speakout/MPHolidayWatch
By way of contrast, over here, the US Senate is recessing on August 7th, a week after the House.
I know the Senate is where legislation goes to languish and be forgotten forever and they really do need to stay a bit longer to get their work done, but still, it’s an interesting parallel.
Nicholas Holzapel: Yes, I have seen this particular campaign, though I am not sure how sensible it is. In any event, MPs are usually good at letting the local media know what they are doing. Though Parliament may not be sitting, constituents continue to write to their MPs in considerable numbers. That is one reason why offices remain open in Westminster over the summer.
Jamie: Thanks for your comment: you raise a valuable comparative point. I see some merit in the US practice. I certainly see a case for us to sit across the year, perhaps taking more but shorter breaks and not having breaks that extend over one or two months.