TDs and MPs: how they rate

I WOULD like to welcome our TDs back to work. It must be great to have a job with a six-week Christmas holiday.

I wonder what would happen to our Celtic Tiger if every worker enjoyed the same conditions as our elected betters. Our political system is a copy of the British one, so how do our politicians compare with Britain?

In 2005, the Dáil sat for 92 days, compared with 135 days for the House of Commons. The Dáil working week is typically Tuesday to Thursday, compared with Monday to Thursday for the House of Commons, which sometimes also sits on Fridays.