Petition · past parliament
Stop contributing to and subsidising catering in the Houses of Parliament.
Rejected
12 signatures
What the petition asks
The bars and restaurants in the houses of Parliament are subsidised by the tax payer. Most other working people do not get subsidised food and drink. MP's earn a good wage it is unreasonable to be subsiding their food and drink including alcohol when we as a country have increasing debt.
The money used to contribute to and subsidise the catering arrangements in the Houses of Parliament can be put to better use.
The catering in the Houses of Parliament recieved a contribution of over £2 million in the last financial year, that money should be put to better use.
The catering in the Houses of Parliament recieved a contribution of over £2 million in the last financial year, that money should be put to better use.
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
Increase food and drink prices in House of Commons catering venues: Increase food and drink prices in House of Commons catering venues
The House of Commons Catering service does not provide a subsidised service in the commercial sense of the word. Some venues make a profit, while 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 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.
Catering and expenses in the House of Lords is a matter for that House, not the Government or House of Commons.
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
Increase food and drink prices in House of Commons catering venues: Increase food and drink prices in House of Commons catering venues
The House of Commons Catering service does not provide a subsidised service in the commercial sense of the word. Some venues make a profit, while 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 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.
Catering and expenses in the House of Lords is a matter for that House, not the Government or House of Commons.
Timeline
| 23 Oct 2020 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 3 Nov 2020 | Rejected by the Petitions Committee |
Key facts
Signatures
12
Status
Rejected
Rejected
3 Nov 2020
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.