Government endorses Parliamentary e-petitions

gallery

The Government has called on the House of Commons to adopt an e-petition system to improve public access and engagement.

A report last April said that such a system would improve access as well as reaffirm the House of Common’s role as a recipient of public petitions. The Government welcomed the report’s “basic recommendations.”

The leader of the House of Commons Harriet Harman said: "The Government hopes that the House will endorse this way forward, allowing it to take a significant step forward in helping to promote better engagement with the public."

But Harman said that parliament would have to look into whether it was possible for all e-petitions to be used, as there would likely be an increase in the number filed above the current 100 annually filed in the traditional paper format.

Harman said a local MP should be required to act as a sponsor or facilitator for the petition, but added that select committees could also take evidence from petitioners and that the issues raised could be debated in the House.

She said the idea would be considered in the autumn, after the summer recess.

The Downing Street website has taken 26,000 e-petitions with 5.8 million signatures since November 2006. Some 6,000 have been completed, while about half have been rejected – mostly because of duplication, but also for legal and obscenity reasons.

There is no guarantee any action will be taken from any Downing Street petition, and the Government usually does not respond to those with fewer than 200 signatures.

Email to a friend

Print this page