PARLIAMENT is on a short recess this week, allowing me some time with the family.

It’s also an opportunity to (temporarily) empty my email inboxes and plan for the year ahead; as much as I can given the unpredictability of Parliament’s sitting dates and voting details.

We can and do make a reasonable guess as to the pattern of a Parliamentary week or month, but plans often fall foul of the sudden imposition of a Three Line Whip meaning that MPs have to drop everything and get to the House of Commons to vote.

Two Line Whips, that require MPs to vote unless paired with a member of the opposition, went out of fashion many years ago, as did all-night sittings.

But, as happened last week, Parliamentary sessions can be extended to the small hours, so I have had many a late-night or early morning cycle back to my rented flat in London and made far too many “sorry I can’t make it” calls in the last few months.

It’s all part of the rich Parliamentary tapestry but it requires very tolerant loved ones to make it work.

A similar sense of uncertainty surrounds an appearance on the BBC’s political programme Question Time.

Panellists have no prior knowledge of the questions put forward by the audience, so when I agreed to be on the panel in Torquay last week it meant a hefty homework schedule trying to guess which questions will be selected, boning up on the other panellists, and making sure that, as the representative of the Government party, I have a working knowledge of most of our policy positions.

It is quite challenging to appear on shows such as Question Time, but always interesting and it’s also a real privilege to visit different parts of the country and hear the concerns of local people, as well as listen to the views of other panellists.

We had a fun and feisty line up last week including the principled and talented (if politically misguided) Billy Bragg and the wonderful common-sense dynamo that is Ann Widdecombe, who has been through so many successful reinventions – from MP to author, campaigner, Strictly star and now actor – that she could be seen as an English version of Madonna minus the guitar.

However, given Ann’s deep knowledge of the NHS and her view that we urgently need a non-political debate to secure the future of our most precious national asset, she is not just an entertainer but a voice to which we should be listening.