WHEN Betty Boothroyd became the first-ever woman Speaker of the House of Commons in 1992, it was a foolish MP who tried to cross her.

She’d been toughened up to survive in the male world of British politics by our own, equally formidable, Barbara Castle, for whom she worked as personal assistant in the mid-50s (she also fought and lost Nelson and Colne in 1968, Rossendale in 1970 before finally winning a Commons’ seat in 1973.)

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Betty’s been back on the warpath this week. She claimed that the Commons was now sitting for fewer hours than at any time in living memory. This was, she said, “an insult to the Parliamentary system”. She blamed the Fixed Term Parliament Act 2011.

Previously, the law laid down a five-year maximum. Within that limit the Prime Minister could choose the election day. If the Prime Minister thought he or she would win, they’d normally call an election after four years; if not, it would be the full five years.

Is Betty right?

Yes, about the Commons’ hours. In the last few months too many sittings have ‘collapsed’ for want of speakers, or controversy. We’ve also been sitting in the recent past for fewer days than normal.

The main reason is not so much the Fixed Term law, but the fact that as the election approaches, the two coalition parties – Conservative, and Liberal Democrats – are agreeing about less and less, so they are bringing forward far fewer Bills. Usually, in a pre-election period, the Government of the day is hyperactive The ‘good old days’ weren’t, however, quite as fine in reality.

Because each day (apart from Friday) didn’t start until 2.30pm. In 1980-81 for example (when I was a new MP) nearly half the time we sat past midnight, 10 per cent of the time past 2am. It was completely knackering, and unproductive.

And, ironically, MPs in general are working much harder than they did 30 years ago. The constituency case load has risen dramatically, and most MPs also sit on busy Select Committees.

But I agree with Betty that there is a problem here. As for a solution, I’d do two things.

One is not to scrap the Fixed Term law, but cut the term to four years. The other is totally to reform the way that backbenchers can bring in bills. Consideration of these bills is crammed into a few Fridays. The Government of the day (regardless of party) then ensures that all the filibustering tricks which were abolished for Government bills decades ago, can be used to wreck legislation from the backbenches which is perfectly sensible, but not necessarily convenient to Ministers.

Bring in this change, and the Commons really would start to get lively.