Petition · past parliament
End subsidised food and alcohol in Parliament and the Lords
Rejected
20 signatures
What the petition asks
Please petition the house and campaign for an end to subsidised food and alcohol for MP's and Lords. Raise the subject at Prime Ministers questions or from the floor of the House of Commons.
It costs the British tax payer more than £6000000 p/a to supply public servants with subsidised food and alcohol. Given the recent MP salary increase to £74000 (before expenses), it's not unreasonable to expect they pay for subsistence in the same way most other workers do. In light of the recent refusal of a Motion to offer FSM to the lowest income families over school holidays, during a period of high unemployment and job uncertainty, this money could be re-distributed to supplying FSM.
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
| 26 Oct 2020 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 4 Nov 2020 | Rejected by the Petitions Committee |
Key facts
Signatures
20
Status
Rejected
Rejected
4 Nov 2020
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.