Stop extra working at home expenses for MPs owing to COVID 19

Rejected 10 signatures

What the petition asks

According to The Times,The Government is currently allowing £10000 in extra expenses to cover MPs working at home because of COVID-19. This arrangement should cease.

The payment of £10000 is supposed to cover the increased cost to MPs of working at home, including such matters as heating, lighting and phone and internet charges. The sum allocated is disproportionate to such costs and does not take account of the saving to MPs of travel and subsistence when attending Parliament (for which expenses are also available). No other group has been offered such generous incentives to work at home. Accordingly, the payment to MPs is unfair and should cease.

Why it was rejected

It asked for something that is not the responsibility of the UK Government or Parliament.

We can't accept your petition because the UK Government and Parliament aren't responsible for MPs' pay. 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/about-us/

You can find out more about coronavirus and how you can protect yourself and others here:

www.gov.uk/coronavirus
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

The Government has also created an online service to help you out what you can do if you’re struggling because of coronavirus: https://www.gov.uk/find-coronavirus-support

You can read NHS tips to help if you are worried about coronavirus here: https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/coronavirus-covid-19-anxiety-tips

You can read impartial analysis of the Government response to coronavirus and policy developments here: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/coronavirus/

You may also be interested to know that because of the large number of petitions that have been started in relation to coronavirus, the Petitions Committee has been questioning the Government about its response to the coronavirus outbreak.

Find out more and watch the Committee put questions suggested by petitioners to Government Ministers and the Deputy Chief Medical Officer: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/326/petitions-committee/news/145767/committee-question-deputy-chief-medical-officer-and-ministers-on-coronavirus-response/

Read letters asking further questions of Government Ministers: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/326/petitions-committee/publications/3/correspondence/

Timeline

9 Apr 2020	Petition opened for signatures
20 May 2020	Rejected by the Petitions Committee

Key facts

Signatures 10

Status Rejected

Rejected 20 May 2020

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