Commons: Set for marathon session

MPs are preparing for a marathon session of Parliament that will take them through to November next year.

The 18-month session will kick off with the Queen's Speech on Tuesday. She is set to announce a bumper crop of legislation that will take up enough time to fill the Commons and Lords timetables until 2006.

Sessions of Parliament normally run from November until November, but this year has been disrupted by the dissolution of both houses for the general election.

With the new Parliament commencing in the middle of the year, business managers have again opted for a long year rather than a truncated one.

Around 40 bills will be unveiled by the Queen, with the possibility of more legislation being introduced later.

But while tired parliamentarians may be daunted by the prospect following the election campaign, they do have two holidays to look forward to.

The Whitsun recess will coincide with most schools' half-term holidays at the end of the month, from Thursday May 26 to Monday June 6.

The Commons will also have a long summer recess as the September sitting experiment has been scrapped this year to allow time for the installation of a permanent glass screen in front of the public gallery.

The break will begin on Thursday July 28 and end after the party conferences on Monday October 10.