{"links":{"self":"https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/770365.json"},"data":{"type":"petition","id":770365,"attributes":{"action":"Ban the sale and consumption of alcohol in Parliament & end taxpayer subsidies.","background":"We call on the Government to ban the sale and consumption of alcohol across the parliamentary estate during working hours. We also demand an end to all taxpayer-funded subsidies for catering, bars, and restaurants in Parliament, ensuring MPs pay full market value.","additional_details":"Parliament is a workplace where major national decisions are voted on. In almost any other modern profession, drinking alcohol while on duty is strictly forbidden. Elected officials must be held to these same standards to ensure public trust. Furthermore, during economic hardship, taxpayers should not subsidise hospitality venues that let MPs buy food and drink at a discount. MPs earn a substantial salary and should pay true market value","committee_note":null,"state":"rejected","signature_count":8,"created_at":"2026-05-20T14:32:17.298Z","updated_at":"2026-06-03T09:56:06.022Z","rejected_at":"2026-06-03T09:56:06.023Z","opened_at":null,"closed_at":null,"moderation_threshold_reached_at":"2026-05-20T18:08:20.000Z","response_threshold_reached_at":null,"government_response_at":null,"debate_threshold_reached_at":null,"debate_scheduled_on":null,"scheduled_debate_date":null,"debate_outcome_at":null,"creator_name":null,"rejection":{"code":"duplicate","details":"You may wish to sign the following petition, which calls for similar action:\r\n\r\nBan the sale and consumption of alcohol in House of Commons venues\r\nhttps://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/768417\r\n\r\nCatering services for the House of Commons are provided by an in-house team who do not provide a subsidised service in the commercial sense of the word. Some venues make a profit, referred to as contribution because it contributes to reducing overall costs. In other venues, the cost of providing the service does exceed the income received in sales due to the irregular hours and unpredictability of parliamentary business. The contribution or cost of each venue is calculated by subtracting the food and operational costs from the catering sales. Rather than a subsidy, the House monitors the contribution or cost of each catering venue, which include cafeterias, dining rooms, restaurants and bars. Prices of food and drink are regularly benchmarked against appropriate external comparators.\r\n\r\nYou can read more about this here: 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/\r\n\r\nWe can't accept petitions about catering in the House of Lords as that is the responsibility of the House of Lords."},"government_response":null,"debate":null,"departments":[],"topics":[]}}}