Petition · past parliament
Parliament to sit on Saturdays which should be a "normal working day" for MPs.
Closed
100,353 signatures
What the petition asks
Doctors have been told that Saturdays are part of the "normal working" week so that the Government can avoid paying them extra to do so. MPs should lead by example and meet on a Saturday too. With their new 6 day week MPs would get more Parliamentary work done. There should be no extra pay for this.
I am a GP and although not a junior Dr, believe that Politicians are at least as important if not more important than the people they lead and who they set policies for. As "we are all in it together", The policies and rules they set should apply to them as equally as for any members of the workforce.
As there is never enough time for Parliament to sit and weigh up all the pressing and important matters of Government, I think Parliament should sit 6 days/week with Saturday being part of their normal working week as it is proposed for other workers.
As there is never enough time for Parliament to sit and weigh up all the pressing and important matters of Government, I think Parliament should sit 6 days/week with Saturday being part of their normal working week as it is proposed for other workers.
Government response · 22 February 2016
MPs routinely work at weekends and are directly accountable to their electorate on how they perform their role.
Attendance at the House of Commons is only one part of a Member of Parliament’s work. MPs spend time in their constituencies meeting residents, local businesses and organisations, listening to their concerns and helping them with issues. They are held to account by their electorate.
The rate of MPs’ pay, pensions and expenses, which is not linked to the numbers of hours they work, is set by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA).
Leader of the House
The rate of MPs’ pay, pensions and expenses, which is not linked to the numbers of hours they work, is set by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA).
Leader of the House
Timeline
| 5 Feb 2016 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 7 Feb 2016 | Passed 10,000 signatures, requiring a government response |
| 22 Feb 2016 | Government responded |
| 19 Jul 2016 | Passed 100,000 signatures, qualifying for a parliamentary debate |
| 5 Aug 2016 | Closed to new signatures |
Key facts
Signatures
100,353
Status
Closed
Opened
5 Feb 2016
Closed
5 Aug 2016
Response
22 Feb 2016
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.