Nationalist MPs: We’re missing out on holidays
THEY promised to be Scotland’s champions, working 24/7 to secure a better deal for their constituents.
But new Nationalist MPs, who have been in the job for only a couple of months, are complaining their nine-and-a-half week summer recess is unfair because it only partly overlaps with their children’s summer holidays.
MPs, who earn £73,000 a year following a controversial pay rise, are not supposed to treat the lengthy recess as a holiday but rather use it to do more work in the constituency.
But it is clear some Nationalist MPs were looking forward to spending more time with their families – even in working hours.
Carol Monaghan, Glasgow North West MP, who has three children aged five, eight and 16, said the recess dates were ‘a huge problem’ for her and her family.
She added: ‘It’s tough for them and it’s tough for me. It’s definitely more unfair for Scottish MPs because our holidays don’t coincide at all with the terms in Westminster.
‘The sacrifice I’m having to make in terms of seeing and spending time with my children is much greater than somebody else from the rest of the UK.’
Mrs Monaghan backed a comprehensive review but said even moving the dates by a week would help.
Meanwhile, her fellow Nationalist MP Kirsten Oswald, who represents East Renfrewshire, complained that her two sons, aged seven and ten, have been on summer holiday for a month.
‘It’s a shame for the kids – I’m quite restricted in how much time I’m able to spend with them. It’s unfortunate,’ she said.
‘In terms of the community, there’s loads of things that happen locally during the summer, for families, chil- dren. It would be good for us to be about as local MPs and participate.’
Pete Wishart, MP for Perth and North Perthshire, said the answer was to make the summer break longer.
‘Let us have a recess that covers all the school holidays and then let us return here, like everybody else in the country, after the August bank holiday,’ he said.
That would add a month to the start of the recess period, while taking three weeks off at the end.
Yesterday, the party’s opponents said the SNP should focus on working for their constituents, rather than their summer holidays.
Jackson Carlaw, Scottish Conservative deputy leader, said: ‘The SNP went down to Westminster saying it would work 24/7 for the people of Scotland.
‘In the space of two months, its MPs are already crying about holidays.
‘Perhaps if they spent more time representing constituents, and less time rabble-rousing and trying to wind up the rest of the UK, they wouldn’t find it such a slog.’
A Scottish Labour spokesman said: ‘Most Scots will think that the recess is long enough and that politicians should be in their constituencies working hard over the summer.’