A Petitions Committee is needed to deal with petitions and respond to public expectations
A new Briefing Paper What Next for E-Petitions? published today by the Hansard Society examines the problems with the current e-petitions system and calls for Parliament to take over ownership and responsibility for e-petitions from the government. It also calls for the House of Commons to establish a new Petitions Committee to deal with public petitions in the future.
What Next for E-Petitions? identifies four main problems with the current e-petitions system:
- Ownership and responsibility
The system is controlled by government but the onus to respond is largely placed on the House of Commons.
- There is no agreement about the purpose of e-petitions
Are they ‘an easy way to influence government policy’, a ‘fire alarm’ about issues of national concern, a ‘finger in the wind’ to determine the depth of public feeling on a range of issues? Or should they be used to empower the public through greater engagement in the political and parliamentary process, providing for deliberation on the issues of concern?
- Public and media expectations of the system are consequently confused
People expect an automatic debate once the signature threshold is passed and react negatively when this does not happen.
- There is minimal public engagement with Parliament or government
Beyond the possibility of a debate for those e-petitions that pass the 100,000 signature threshold, little or nothing currently happens with them. And if an e-petition does not achieve the signature threshold but still attracts considerable support (e.g. 99,999 signatures) there is no guarantee of any kind of response at all.
What Next for E-Petitions? examines how the current system was developed, how it works in practice and the roles played by the Office of the Leader of the House of Commons and the Backbench Business Committee. It also compares the Westminster e-petitions system with those in place in Scotland and Wales and concludes that while there are valuable lessons to be learned from the devolved legislatures, the sheer volume of e-petitions received at Westminster demonstrates the need for a custom-made model to manage petitioner expectations and the engagement process. Key recommendations are:
- Ownership of and responsibility for the e-petitions system should rest with the House of Commons and not the executive.
- The House of Commons should create a Petitions Committee, supported by staff in a Petitions Office, to engage with petitioners, moderate the process and provide a single route for consideration of both paper and online petitions.
- Members of the Petitions Committee should be elected and have the power to refer petitions to a relevant Select Committee, to commission their own inquiries into specific petitions, to question ministers on the issues and to invite petitioners and others to give evidence at public hearings.
Dr Ruth Fox, Director of the Hansard Society’s Parliament and Government programme and author of What Next for E-Petitions?, commented:
‘The introduction of the e-petitions system was a step in the right direction, and the government deserves credit for setting up the system quickly and cost-effectively. But it is falling short of public and media expectations. If the House of Commons is to be responsible for responding to petitioners’ concerns then it should take over the running of the system from the government. A new Petitions Committee should then respond to petitioners’ concerns and properly engage them in the parliamentary process.’
For further information, contact Virginia Gibbons at the Hansard Society on 020 7438 1225 or 07812 765 552 or email comms@hansardsociety.org.uk
Editors’ Notes
- The Hansard Society co-hosted a seminar with the House of Commons Backbench Business Committee in March 2012 to discuss how the e-petitions system could be reformed in order to enhance public engagement and better link the system to parliamentary processes.
- The seminar drew together Committee members and clerks, officials from the Office of the Leader of the House of Commons and the Government Digital Service, participants from the Scottish Parliament and the National Assembly for Wales, academics and campaigners with experience and expertise in digital engagement.
- The ideas and recommendations set out in What Next for E-Petitions? draw both on the views discussed at the seminar and additional issues and ideas derived from Hansard Society research.