Work subsidised canteens

Rib-eye steak £9

It’s a far cry from the Police subsidised canteen I ate from years ago that was a greasy spoon.

Pudding? ?

ixion

Pudding? ?

Good point.

Maybe they think they are sweet enough.

I rather fancy the Roasted cauliflower and tarragon steaklet with samphire and hazelnut pesto, pickled kohlrabi and aubergine baba ganoush. £7.33

Can’t remember that being on the College Club menu where I worked.

Drinks menu.

It's anofher example of why being an mp is now a shrewd career move, rather than a wish to actually help people.

This is a disgrace. As a nation we have people in work paying taxes, yet using food banks, while MPs (of all parties) take advantage of taxes.
About time something was done about it!

Disgusting but somehow not surprising. Meanwhile NHS staff have no access to hot food in the evenings or overnight ( not that it’s up to much in the daytime when it is available) and have to bring food from home or buy snacks from an overpriced vending machine.

I was unaware that this was not common knowledge that MP’s dine and drink in style while we subsidise them.
Perhaps if it was more widely known we could put a stop to this.

Wow Esspee No I hadn’t even thought about it but it is a diabolical liberty any way when barely any workplace these days has a canteen whether subsidised or not and employees would be disciplined for drinking alcohol during work hours?
BOOOO!

What? You’re not happy?

I've ordered my starters and mains

Wot?! Where's the pud menu?
The wine's a bit pricey, Esspee, I can get it cheaper in Tesco. Can we BYOB?

It's anofher example of why being an mp is now a shrewd career move, rather than a wish to actually help people.
They could get their mortgage paid off a a bit put on one side for retirement after a couple of Parliamentary terms.
And fall asleep at work too.

Grannynannywanny

Disgusting but somehow not surprising. Meanwhile NHS staff have no access to hot food in the evenings or overnight ( not that it’s up to much in the daytime when it is available) and have to bring food from home or buy snacks from an overpriced vending machine.

Volunteers and local businesses were sending in food for NHS staff here during the worst of the Covid outbreak because there was no food available during a 12 hour shift.

Most recently, in 2020/21, the total costs of running the catering services minus the sales income was £9.1 million, which is the highest recorded so far. That £9.1 million is a cost to the taxpayer. This number is particularly high because it covered the period of coronavirus lockdowns in England when many staff, including MPs, were working from home and visits (and therefore sales) were limited. Cost to the taxpayer in the previous year was £4.1 million. Over the last ten year,s the taxpayer has contributed over £43 million to subsidise catering services in Parliament.

Currently, the basic annual salary of a Member of Parliament in the House of Commons is £81,932.

Meantime, at the foodbank ...

My DD did 14 hour shifts on the wards at one time. The nurses barely had time to eat a biscuit or chocolate brought in by grateful patients never mind a heavily subsidised meal.

I find this shocking.

Mps claim expenses, do they claim this back?

Our little village pub has much higher prices.

Some would be able to. It works like this:

MPs are entitled to food expenses (up to £25 per night) if they stay overnight outside of both their constituency and the London area. This can be used for food bought during the day, but alcohol cannot be claimed as part of these expenses. MPs cannot use their expenses to buy alcohol either in their office or while they’re travelling.

MPs are allowed to eat and drink in parliament’s various bars and restaurants (as are all parliamentary staff and visitors). While this food and drink is not directly subsidised, catering services across the House of Commons run at a loss, meaning that public money is effectively spent subsidising the overall catering operation.

In response to a Freedom of Information request in 2018, the House of Commons said MPs “make up a very small proportion of overall customers who use the catering services of the House of Commons”.

fullfact.org/online/mps-free-housing-alcohol/

fullfact.org/online/mps-expenses-claim-lunch-gym/

I bet there's several MP's wining and dining their secretaries - cheap at these prices.

I've known about it for many years and find it shocking. The £9.1 million deficit should be spread over the MPs who eat there and they should be taxed on that benefit.

I think the main reason, nowadays, why food and drink is provided 'in house' for MPs is security. Unfortunately, we live in a time when some people think they have a right to take action against others for a whole variety of reasons. MPs need to know they can enjoy a lunch break without being set upon. They often need to be close to the action if the division bell goes, they have a meeting with a constituent or they are meeting business people in the context of their work. In the H of C they can leave their meal, vote and return. I think it is easy to go into punitive measures as a member of the 'enraged' public when the drinking culture is exposed in newspapers as it has been recently. Most of us do not experience harassment when we go out to eat. The drinking culture is another issue which could be tackled with restrictive hours. MPs have a right to be able to discuss the matters of the political day in a private setting rather than the local pub where journalists, and the public, can overhear them.

Food should be available as they work unsociable hours, no problem with that, but it shouldn’t run at a loss. I wonder if those restaurants are privatised?

Yep, this'll be why they fall asleep ? in the afternoon. Maybe watching porn is necessary to keep them awake...

Devorgilla
Most of us do not experience harassment when we go out to eat

But they’re not “out to eat” they’re at work.

That’s what we charge for drinks at our football bar and still make a profit so they aren’t getting it for less than cost.