What length of summer holidays do other governments take?

The Dáil is set to get about three months summer holidays this year due to renovations at Leinster House.

TDs are due to begin their summer holidays on July 7th, and usually return mid-September.

However the renovations at Leinster House would see TDs return later than usual this year.

Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin has said he thinks the period of holidays proposed by Fine Gael is "too early and it is too long".

Ceann Comhairle Seán O Fearghail said on Thursday that the repairs would not require the Dáil to adjourn early, but told the House that no decision had been made on the length of the holidays.

Tánaiste Frances Fitzgerald, said the length of the summer holiday was a matter for the Dáil and that the new Oireachtas business committee would be established in the coming weeks and would consider the issue.

In recent years the Dáil’s summer holiday has been shortened from 12 weeks to eight, but how does this compare to other governments?

Britain

The House of Commons take its summer holidays from July 21st to September 5th, (about six weeks).

But MPs will only be in Westminster for a few days before they are in recess again for the annual party conferences from September 15th to October 10th (about three and a half weeks).

Holiday dates are decided by the government and announced by the leader of the House.

Holiday dates for the House of Lords are often slightly different.

Some parliamentary business, such as the publication of committee reports, continues during recesses and parliament can be recalled at any time.

MPs are expected to work in their constituencies during the holiday but there are no rules about how they spend their time.

During one of the periodic bouts of media outrage about the length of the summer holidays some years ago, Conservative Philip Hammond, now foreign secretary, said with refreshing candour that he would “provide a helping hand to the Italian economy, especially the restaurateurs’ sector, which is in nearly as much trouble as ours”.

(Denis Staunton, London Editor)

France

The "ordinary session" of the French National Assembly shuts down from the end of June until the 1st of October (three months).

However, the speaker of the assembly, in consultation with the government, usually calls an “extraordinary session” that lasts until mid-July to deal with unfinished business.

Likewise, parliamentarians are usually summoned in early to mid-September to begin budget negotiations.

The decision to convene an extraordinary session is taken at the last minute so while French parliamentarians have in theory, a three month summer holiday, in practice it is usually reduced to two months.

(Lara Marlowe, France Correspondent)

Italy

The Italian parliament traditionally goes on its summer holidays for about one month, starting at the second week in August until the first week of September (one month).

Three years ago, when various critics argued that the summer holiday was too long, the speaker of the lower house, Laura Boldrini, pointed out that the European parliament, as well as the French, German and UK parliaments all take much longer holidays.

Ms Boldrini also pointed out that parliament is occasionally forced to reconvene during the summer holidays in order to renew “decree” laws which would otherwise become invalid.

(Paddy Agnew, Rome Correspondent)

US

The US Congress releases its legislative calendars for the House of Representatives and the Senate in November, detailing when they will sit and when they will take holidays.

Holidays are called “district work days”, indicating that members are not in Washington, as opposed to “DC work week”, indicating the days Congress sits.

The House of Representatives takes a break from July 15th until September 5th (seven weeks).

This includes the 18th-21st of July when the Republican national convention is held. The Democrats hold their convention from 21st-28th July.

The house sits from September 6th- 30th, and then breaks again for six weeks until November 14th, after the US elections .

The US Senate runs on a similar schedule, with holidays running from July 18th to September 5th (seven weeks).

It breaks again for five weeks from October 7th, returning on November 14th.