Why do so few MP’s attend debates in the Chamber?  

Most people w ill be aware that with the exception of Prayers at the start of each days sitting all the proceedings of the House of Commons are televised live and can be viewed on the BBC Parliament channel or on the internet via the Parliament website. Many people only come across the Parliament channel by accident and I guess few choose to watch for very long although I am aware of people who enjoy watching the live coverage! However people view the coverage one aspect always raises concern and that is the number of MP’s who are actually sitting in the House and listening to the debate. It is no surprise therefore that I am often asked about why this is. There is no simple, single answer. The answer lies in the number of different things Members of Parliament have to do. For a start all the Members who are Government Ministers are invariably working in their respective departments....