E-petitions could be debated in the Commons
Uk gov gives the nod to report
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The public could soon be setting the agenda for debates in the Commons after proposals on e-petitioning won government support.
The government has accepted the key recommendations in a report delivered by the Commons Procedure Select Committee in May 2007 on public petitions.
Although all petitions will still have to be sponsored and presented to Parliament by an MP, the proposals aim to make petitioning in the House of Commons more transparent.
In its report the committee said it was examining the implications of introducing e-petitioning and expected to propose a "worked up and practicable system to the House in due course". The system would ensure that e-petitions would be open for the the public to sign for a certain period before formal presentation. Once presented, they would also have the same status as written petitions.
In welcoming the proposals, the government said the recommendations would: ensure that it replies to all substantive petitions; see petitions and their replies published in Hansard and be accessible on the Commons website; and encourage debates to be held on petitions of particular importance.
Chair of the Procedure Committee, Greg Knight MP, said: "The recommendations which the government has accepted will make petitioning the House of Commons more transparent and productive, in particular, by requiring the government to respond to the issues and concerns raised by petitioners.
"I also welcome the government's support for our work on e-petitions. A successful e-petitioning system could play an important part in revitalising the relationship between Parliament and people."
According to the government, the system will "enable the House to build on the pathfinding work in this area by the No. 10 Downing Street website". Earlier this year, the Downing Street system facility enabled more than 1.7 million people to sign an e-petition against road pricing.
This article was originally published at Kablenet.
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COMMENTS
Oh yeah!
Anyone who thinks this is anything other than yet another 'Peoples' ...' scam knows nothing about the current set of Stalinist goons in power.
Do you seriously think that a petition of, say, 5,000 votes will get anywhere? They comprehensively ignored the will of millions voting against road charging and even more millions against the Iraq War. The know that when the dust dies down and the Big Brother watchers resume their places they can just carry on in their corrupting ways ... just as before.
Cynical? Moi? Too right!
Great! A little late though
I would have loved to see them debate whether Tony Blair should stand on his head and juggle ice cream.
About time...
Having had over 1,800 people sign my petition on the Number 10 website and then getting a response that was just a re-hash of self-serving Home Office statements (see: http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/Page11535.asp ), suggesting that the person who wrote the reply hadn't actually bothered to really read the petition or take a look at the laws that are being proposed (see http://tinyurl.com/2bhxcw ) I think this is a damn good thing!
Maybe now the Government will actually start to become properly *accountable* to the electorate, something which they were always supposed to be.
Remember, you're Civil *Servants* guys!
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