Petitions Committee

1. Petitions Committee
Anne-Marie Griffiths
Clerk

2. Petitions to Parliament and Government
– What are the new arrangements for petitions to Parliament
and Government?
– How do they work in practice?
– What might the new Petitions Committee be able to achieve?

3. The petitions system
• A new e-petitions website, jointly owned by the House of
Commons and the Government and operated collaboratively
• Oversight of the joint e-petitions site and the traditional paper-
based petitions system by a Petitions Committee of the House of
Commons
• Petitions Committee supported by a staff team to advise and
engage with petitioners, and to provide updates about
parliamentary activity related to a petition

4. • Must make a clear request to the House or the Government,
about something which is within their responsibility (and not
libellous, offensive, etc)
• An e-petition needs six supporters to be opened for signature on
the new site
• After six months, every e-petition is formally presented to the
House and recorded in the Votes and Proceedings
• Any British citizen or UK resident can start or sign an e-petition
– no age limit
• Government responds to petitions which reach 10,000
signatures
E-petitions

5. Public (paper) petitions
• Must be presented to the House by an MP
• Must be addressed to the House and ask for something that the
House can do
• Must be hand-signed by at least one petitioner
• After presentation, the Government usually provides a response

6. What can the Petitions Committee do with
petitions?
• Seek further info in writing - from petitioners, the Government,
other public bodies, other relevant people/organisations
• Seek further information in person – in Parliament or elsewhere
• Refer to another select committee (but no obligation to act)
• Schedule a debate in Westminster Hall (Monday afternoon, from
4.30pm for up to three hours)
• Ask the Backbench Business Committee for debating time in the
Chamber
• Nothing

7. How do petitions get debated?
• The Committee has agreed that it will usually schedule petitions
with over 100,000 signatures for debate, unless:
- The subject has recently been debated or is likely to be debated
in the near future;
- The Committee (or another parliamentary or government body)
has decided to pursue the issue in another way;
- The subject is unsuitable for debate in Parliament.
• Topics can be raised in other debates in Parliament, with the
petition listed as relevant

8. Joint working with other committees
• Try to avoid duplication of work
• Alert petitioners to relevant select committee work
• Petition creators invited to give oral evidence to committees
• Referral of e-petition on sugary drinks to the Health Committee
– leading to a debate

9. Committee inquiry
• Inquiry into funding for research into brain tumours
• E-petition started by Maria Lester, sister of Stephen Realf
• Very little parliamentary activity in recent years
• Subject suitable for detailed inquiry
• Oral evidence from petitioners, charities, clinicians and
researchers, funding body
• Public engagement: web forum, informal round table discussion
• In the coming months: a report and a debate

10. What’s the role of the Committee staff?
• Advising the Committee in its consideration of petitions
• Moderating e-petitions submitted through the joint website
• Giving advice to petitioners and the wider public about how the
process works
• Keeping petitioners informed about parliamentary activity
relevant to their petition
• Promoting the work of the Committee to a wider audience (with
support from colleagues in Parliament and beyond)

11. What might the Petitions Committee be able
to achieve?
• Enhancing the public’s experience of engaging with
Parliament/Government
• Reaching the “unusual” suspects
• Subjects are raised in Parliament which otherwise wouldn’t have
been debated/investigated
• Having an effect on public policy
• Increasing public understanding of how Parliament/Government
work
• Promoting existing action being taken by
Parliament/Government

12. Find out more
• Email: petitionscommittee@parliament.uk
• Twitter: @HoCPetitions
• Petitions site: petition.parliament.uk
• About the Committee: http://www.parliament.uk/petitions-
committee