Geoff Hoon is not the only one who could be in for a roasting when Parliament is recalled early on Monday. STEPHEN LEWIS reports.

NOT even the England cricket selectors could have chosen a more unfortunate candidate to open the batting for the Government when Parliament returns early on Monday.

The first minister to face questioning from baying MPs newly let off their summer leashes will be hapless defence secretary Geoff Hoon. With his recent testimony to the Hutton inquiry still fresh in everyone's minds, it is not likely to be a pretty sight - unless you like your politics to come with a healthy dose of blood and guts.

James Slack, the Evening Press' Parliamentary correspondent, can hardly hide his glee. "Monday, at 2.30pm," he says. You can almost hear him rubbing his hands. "The summer session has dragged on far too long. It has been an awful time for journalists."

Poor Mr Hoon. Even his supporters, such as York MP Hugh Bayley, admit their man is in for a rough ride. "He is bound to face a lot of tough questions," Mr Bayley says. "There has been a great focus over the summer on Dr Kelly's death, and people will undoubtedly want to question him on the MoD's role." Could it lead to resignation? "I hope not. He's a thoughtful and responsive minister who has tried to make the MoD more accountable."

Monday is the first time Parliament will be recalled early after the summer break, under new rules introduced by former leader of the House Robin Cook. Previously, MPs' summer break lasted two and a half months, with parliament not sitting until mid October, after the party conference season. True, last September MPs were recalled early to debate Iraq; and the year before that, to discuss September 11. But this is the first year an early Parliamentary start will be a matter of routine. The house will sit for two weeks, before adjourning again until after conference season.

It is not only hungry journalists who relish the prospect. Opposition and backbench MPs are looking forward to asking some awkward questions.

Harrogate's Liberal Democrat MP Phil Willis admits he can't wait. "It's an absurd nonsense that Parliament should not sit for two and a half months," he says. Even the schools have gone back, points out Selby's Labour MP John Grogan - so it's high time MPs did. Vale of York Tory Anne McIntosh agrees. "It is very important, particularly for a party in opposition, to hold the Government to account," she says. "There have been six weeks where we have not been able to do that."

Hoon, the Hutton inquiry, Iraq and the Government's row with the BBC are bound to dominate the agenda. But what are the other issues MPs are looking forward to raising? We put that question to our five local MPs...

Phil Willis, Lib Dem, Harrogate

Iraq, of course. "The Hutton inquiry has become a side issue, detracting from what is really the key issue of ever more British troops dying now than during the war. There seems to be no vision for where we want to be in six months or a year's time." Schools and universities. "We have 3,000 teachers who have been made redundant or have lost their jobs in schools up and down the country.

And top-up fees could be the equivalent of the poll tax for this country."

And pensions. "People who are retired, or those in the ten-year period leading up to their retirement, are now looking at the bleakest future that age group has looked at since the war."

John Greenway, Conservative, Ryedale

The only local MP who doesn't welcome the early start. He'd prefer to see the conference season brought forward and Parliament re-opening afterwards, rather than a brief two weeks now. "The place is only going to be open for eight working days. The cost, to my mind, does not justify doing it. the whole two weeks is going to be dominated by the Hutton issue and I cannot see anybody making headway on anything else." Nevertheless, he concedes, it will give Iain Duncan Smith the chance to put Tony Blair under pressure at Prime Minister's Questions about the wider issues surrounding the Iraq war, which have been sidestepped by the Hutton inquiry. Such as? "Where are the weapons of mass destruction?".

Hugh Bayley, Labour, York

Has been busy preparing a number of questions he plans to table. They include questions on school budgets, to the church commissioners on York Minster library, and to culture minister Tessa Jowell on the independence and accountability of the BBC. "The board of governors of the BBC has two jobs, which are not really compatible. One is to act as the board of the company, the other to hold the BBC to account in the way the ITC holds ITV and C4 to account. I think it would make sense to separate these roles." Other questions he wants answered include when the Government expects waiting times on cataract operations at York Hospital to be met, and what the implications would be for companies such as Nestl of Britain adopting the Euro.

Anne McIntosh, Conservative, Vale of York

Says it would be wrong to pre-empt the conclusions of the Hutton inquiry on the Kelly affair, but relishes the chance for the opposition to raise other issues of national concern.

The situation in Iraq has taken the spotlight off domestic concerns, she says. "But we want to know why there are still delays in getting operations, why the trains are still not running on time, why the government has failed to deliver on its promises."

Local issues she hopes to raise include the impact of the government's proposed water bill on North Yorkshire gravel and brick companies; farming concerns; and a request for information on the situation of local servicemen and women still in Iraq.

John Grogan, Labour, Selby

A self-confessed BBC supporter, Mr Grogan believes the government should have dropped its row with the broadcaster a long time ago, before it reached such a tragic conclusion. As chairman of the House of Commons BBC group, he says he will be meeting with other pro-Beeb MPs who are "planning a fightback" on the corporation's behalf.

As treasurer of the House of Commons University group, he plans to meet Education Secretary Charles Clarke to discuss top-up fees.

He will, along with other coalfield MPs, be meeting Tony Blair to discuss energy policy, including the transfer of management of Drax power station to Inter-national Power. And he hopes to seek an adjournment debate on the A64 flyover (see letters below).

Updated: 10:07 Thursday, September 04, 2003