Original URL: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/11/30/e_petitions_cost/
Gov's e-petition service cost £80k to develop
Taxpayer-shouting-at-bins website to stay
Posted in Government, 30th November 2011 14:46 GMT
Watch Now : Virtual Machine Movement with Hyper-V
MPs might be trying their hardest to snub the government's e-petition website, but the Cabinet Office plans to keep the service running for at least the next three years.
The leader of the House of Commons confirmed in a written answer to Parliament yesterday that the design and creation of the e-petition site had cost the taxpayer £80,700.
"The projected technical running cost for the first three years of operation is £32,000 per annum," Sir George Young added.
We assume that's the annual pay packet for the poor sap who has to keep the site ticking over.
As we reported [1] earlier this month, backbenchers are struggling to take the e-petition website seriously.
One MP, Natascha Engel, argued that the backbench biz committee was increasingly burdened with discussing whether or not Parliament should debate e-petitions which have crossed the 100,000 votes barrier.
She asked Young to consider giving the committee "some breathing space" until recommendations were forthcoming on how to deal with e-petitions over the rest of the Parliament.
The Leader of House rebuffed the Labour MP's request, stating that e-petitions were "a success in building a bridge between people and parliament and in ensuring that the House’s diet reflects the interests of those outside".
Bon appétit! ®