Spending committee's Labour chair urges coalition to extend schedule at Westminster as 'it feels as if we are hardly working'

Margaret Hodge says it feels as if MPs are in recess most of the time. Photograph: Dominic Lipinski/PA

MPs risk accusations of laziness and poor value for money because the number of hours they work in Westminster appear to be shrinking, according to the senior MP responsible for scrutinising public spending.

Margaret Hodge, who chairs the public accounts committee, said the coalition should lengthen the parliamentary calendar because MPs were spending less time in Westminster scrutinising policy.

In an interview with the Guardian, Hodge warned of a growing "democratic vacuum" and said that parliamentary sessions were so short "it feels as if we are hardly working".

Her comments, which come as parliament begins to wind down this year's session in preparation for the state opening in May, have been backed by some Conservative and Labour MPs. They will be controversial with teachers after the education secretary, Michael Gove, was criticised by unions for calling for a cut in the length of school holidays last week.

Hodge said: "We are living through the worst economic crisis in modern times, MPs have a lot to do and yet we are spending much of our time in recess. Members of the public would be forgiven for thinking that it is MPs who are lazy and that it is parliament that is failing to provide good value for money.

"The committee I chair spends a lot of time scrutinising public spending and whether it is worthwhile and yet the very heart of government – parliament – seems to be the most sluggish part of our system. We are not spending enough time in Westminster, and this creates a democratic vacuum. The executive can go on and you cannot hold them to the account. It feels as if we are hardly working."

Hodge, the Labour MP for Barking and a minister in the Blair and Brown governments, said that her committee may have to cancel some meetings because the Commons is expected to prorogue – or suspend sittings – over the next two weeks.

"Part of the problem is that the current coalition government appears to be struggling to find legislation to put before the house because they do not agree on many issues. But select committees have work to do but do not have the time to carry it out," she said.

Hodge says the working calendar at Westminster should be extended. Photograph: Alamy

The House of Commons sits for around 150 days a year, according to parliament's website. This excludes half-terms, a six-week break in the summer, two fortnight breaks at Easter and Christmas and three weeks off while MPs attend party conferences.

According to figures from the Commons library, MPs sat for 296 days between May 2010 and May 2012 . But over a 24-month period in 2006 to 2008, the Commons sat for 304 days. By comparison this year, the Commons is expected to sit for fewer than 140 days. The government could suspend parliament as early as Thursday, and not later than 29 April, before returning on 8 May for the Queen's speech.

John Redwood, the former Tory cabinet minister, agreed with Hodge's criticisms but said they would not be popular with most MPs. "Parliament does need to do more to scrutinise government and that was true under Labour and is now true under the coalition. We need more time. This can be done by the extending parliamentary day and the number of parliamentary days. But there is more we could do and more we should do," he said.

Redwood said that Labour introduced longer holidays – including half-term holidays – and shortened the working day to be more family-friendly. Redwood said he would be in favour of extending the length of sitting days initially.

John Mann, a member of the Treasury select committee, said his committee would benefit from longer sittings. "People on these committees cannot cope with the volume of work that there is to do, and we end up missing out on calling before us some of the key people who run our economy. For example, we haven't yet questioned Danny Alexander, the chief secretary to the Treasury. If we are going to scrutinise properly, we need the time to do so," he said.

Norman Baker, the Lib Dem transport minister, disagreed with shortening recess. "I think that it is a misunderstanding that the amount of work an MP does is reflected by the number of days that parliament sits. It isn't. Some MPs work bloody hard all year round and others don't." Edward Garnier, Conservative MP for Harborough, said that any committee that wishes to sit outside parliamentary time can do so and does not need government backing. "If she [Hodge] wants her committee to convene, they should be allowed to whenever they like. They do not need the house to be sitting to do so. It is not a question of either/or."

A spokesman for the leader of the House of Commons, Andrew Lansley, said: "The leader of the house published last October the new parliamentary calendar of the proposed dates of sittings and recesses up to December 2013. Ultimately these are for the house to agree, but we have no plans to alter the current calendar.

"Select committees decide when they carry out their programme of work, including whether to meet in recess. The house sits for as long as in previous years and longer than most other legislatures.

"September sittings have been restored. Parliamentary sittings are not aligned with school terms, which vary across the UK."