Submitted on Thursday 22nd October 2020
Rejected on Friday 30th October 2020
Current status: Rejected
Rejection code: no-action (see below for details)
Fund free school meals by removing tax payer subsidy for MPs food and beverages
The tax payer subsidises those who need it the least to the tune of nearly £6 million each year. It is unconscionable that MPs and Lords should continue to accept this money in the current climate. Redirect the funds to children in need.
I want the government to end the tax payer subsidy for food and drink in the Commons & House of Lords. The money needs to be redirected to those most in need.
You can't sign this petition because it was rejected. But you can still comment on it here at Repetition.me!
The Government e-Petitions Team gave the following reason:
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: 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.
The UK Government and Parliament aren't responsible for setting 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: www.theipsa.org.uk/about-us/
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: petition.parliament.uk/petitions/555565
We could accept a petition calling on the House of Commons to close catering venues that operate at a loss, if that is what you want to happen.
Decisions about catering in the House of Lords is a matter for that House, not the Government or House of Commons.
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