This petition was submitted during the 2019 to 2024 Parliament
Rejected petition Remove the privilege of subsidised food and drink given to MPs and Peers.
Rejected on
Equalise society by removing the privilege of subsidised food and drink given to MPs and Peers.
Whilst there seems to be a need for a certain demographic to give up some rewards, Parliament is behaving completely contrary to this and should be leading and setting an example to us all.
MPs/Peers are paid by salary/allowance + expenses.
- MPs were awarded a 2.7% pay rise
- Peers increased their daily allowance by 3.1%
- Inflation was 1.3%
- In 2017 taxpayers paid over £4m subsiding Parliament's food & drink.
Lord True's Committee has said that benefits eg free TV licences for over 75s should be abolished, subsidies ie. free bus passes, winter fuel payments & the pensions triple lock should be cut.
A 2.7-3.1% increase surely takes MPs/Peers away from needing the subsidy.
Why was this petition rejected?
It’s not clear what the petition is asking the UK Government or Parliament to do.
Petitions need to call on the Government or Parliament to take a specific action.
Food in Parliament is not subsidised in the commercial sense of the word. You can read more here: https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/foi/transparency-publications/hoc-transparency-publications/catering-services/transparency-reporting-catering-services/
We're not whether you want MPs and Peers no longer to be able to access low-cost food, or for commercial prices to be paid by all those working in and visiting Parliament.
You could start a new petition explaining clearly what you would like the Government or Parliament to do.We only reject petitions that don’t meet the petition standards.