Rejected petition: Stop M.P.’s expenses, subsidies & allowances
Rejected on
Put an end to the expenses of members of Parliament & the House Of Lords
Governments constantly tell the electorate that public expenditure needs to be reduced & it is always the poorest & infirm that are affected - millions of pounds could be saved & put to better use if the govt stopped by
Claims by MPs for 2nd homes & or rent
Claims by MPs for utility bills
Claims for travel expenses
Subsided food & drink in the House of Commons canteen & bars
&
Stopping the House of Lords daily attendance allowance
Why was this petition rejected?
It’s about something that the UK Government or Parliament is not directly responsible for.
We can't accept your petition because the UK Government and Parliament aren't responsible for the issue you raise. The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) is responsible for deciding on MPs' expenses and pay. IPSA is independent of both Parliament and Government.
You can find out more about IPSA here: https://www.theipsa.org.uk/
The petition also makes reference to the House of Lords, which neither the Government nor the House of Commons is directly responsible for.
Catering services for the House of Commons are provided by an in-house team who do not provide a subsidised service, though the cost of running the service means that it runs at a loss. It is important to note that while in some venues the cost of providing the service exceeds the income received in sales, other venues in the Commons make a profit which contributes to reducing overall costs. The House of Commons publishes details of the cost of House of Commons catering services: https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/freedom-of-information/information-we-already-publish/house-of-commons-publication-scheme/catering-services/house-of-commons-cost-of-catering/
Customers of the House of Commons Catering Services include some of the 650 MPs but also around 14,500 other pass-holders, many of whom are staff on lower wages that work irregular hours. In addition, members of the public and non pass holding visitors to Parliament also have access to these services. The irregular hours and the unpredictability of Parliamentary business contribute to increasing the net cost of providing a catering service. To offset this many of the restaurants, dining room facilities and their staff, are used to cater for private events at times when they are not required by the House. This is one of a number of measures used to reduce costs.
We only reject petitions that don’t meet the petition standards.