Dáil holidays - TDs get day off for every day in Dáil

IF there is one area in which the Dáil is a shining example to most other parliaments in Europe, it is in the amount of time it gives itself in holidays and time off.

On Thursday, it goes into recess for three months, having sat for the princely sum of 95 days since it managed to return to the chamber last September.

They get practically a day’s holiday for every one of the 90 days they sat in the national parliament.

When it does deign to address affairs of State, the formal week’s work of our TDs consists of two-and-a-half days, so it is hardly surprising that its legislative workload tends to become rather backlogged.

Indignant politicians always insist that their exceptionally long holidays are not what they seem, because constituency work has to be attended to, as must the work of the various committees.

It is possible, in fact very likely, that constituents may espy their local TD this year during their long summer holidays because next year some of them may not have the long break to look forward to.

The fact that next year is a general election year may prompt our politicians to be more visible than usual in their constituencies during the summer this year.