Petition · past parliament
Stop MP subsidies for lunches to fund all year round free school meals.
Rejected
21 signatures
What the petition asks
I would like MPs to stop getting heavily subsidised lunches and drinks in parliment and for this money to be put towards free, all year round lunches to children that need them.
Because i would like the government to look at their behaviour by voting down the free childrens' meals when they spend millions getting a subsidy for partridge. I think it's about time these perks were stopped especially in a time where every penny counts, it should go to children that need it, not highly paid MPs.
Why it was rejected
There was already a petition about this issue. Duplicates are rejected so signatures collect in one place.
We have published the following petitions, which you might like to sign:
Increase food and drink prices for MPs in House of Commons catering venues: Increase food and drink prices for MPs in House of Commons catering venues
Fund free school meals over school holidays until April 2021: Fund free school meals over school holidays until April 2021
Provide the free school meal entitlement throughout the year: Provide the free school meal entitlement throughout the year.
End child food poverty – no child should be going hungry: End child food poverty – no child should be going hungry
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/foi/transparency-publications/hoc-transparency-publications/catering-services/transparency-reporting-catering-services/
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.
Increase food and drink prices for MPs in House of Commons catering venues: Increase food and drink prices for MPs in House of Commons catering venues
Fund free school meals over school holidays until April 2021: Fund free school meals over school holidays until April 2021
Provide the free school meal entitlement throughout the year: Provide the free school meal entitlement throughout the year.
End child food poverty – no child should be going hungry: End child food poverty – no child should be going hungry
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/foi/transparency-publications/hoc-transparency-publications/catering-services/transparency-reporting-catering-services/
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.
Timeline
| 23 Oct 2020 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 30 Oct 2020 | Rejected by the Petitions Committee |
Key facts
Signatures
21
Status
Rejected
Rejected
30 Oct 2020
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.