18 October 2012 Last updated at 15:55 ET

David Cameron 'dodging' Commons questions, says Labour

Mr Cameron endures a 30-minute grilling from MPs most weeks when Parliament is sitting

Labour has accused Prime Minister David Cameron of dodging his weekly Commons question session, after MPs' sitting days for next year were announced.

Four of the seven recesses for 2013 begin on Tuesdays, but prime minister's questions takes place on Wednesdays.

Labour frontbencher Michael Dugher said the choice of dates was "cynical".

Labour's last two parliamentary sessions in government saw one in five and one in three recesses beginning on a Tuesday.

Mr Dugher, the shadow Cabinet Office minister, said: "After taking a battering from Ed Miliband over police cuts and Andrew Mitchell and then shambolically announcing the wrong energy policy all in the space of five minutes yesterday, it's no surprise David Cameron wants to dodge prime minister's questions.

"But timetabling the House of Commons to miss so many Wednesdays next year looks cynical and totally weak.

"If he's not prepared to defend his own policies, no wonder people think he's out of touch."

Recess dates for the rest of 2012-13 and for 2013-14

• Christmas: Thursday 20 December 2012 - Monday 7 January 2013
• February recess: Thursday 14 February - Monday 25 February
• Easter: Tuesday 26 March - Monday 15 April
• Whitsun: Tuesday 21 May - Monday 3 June
• Summer: Thursday 18 July - Monday 2 September
• Conference recess: Friday 13 September - Tuesday 8 October
• Autumn: Tuesday 12 November - Monday 18 November
• Christmas: Thursday 19 December 2013 - Monday 6 January 2014