Government launches new e-petition website

A newly launched Government website will give campaigners with e-petitions of at least 100,000 signatures the chance to have their proposals debated in Parliament.

The point of the new e-petiticons site, which takes over from the previous No 10 petitions site that closed down before the general election, is to build "confidence" and "greater engagement" in MPs' work.

Over the next months, the site will be closely monitored. Sir George Young, House of Commons Leader said that because "Parliamentary time is not unlimited and we want the best e-petitions to be given airtime, we will monitor the site closely over the coming months to assess whether the 100,000 figure is an appropriate target."

The BBC has reported that Labour has said the site could lead to "crazy ideas", but some e-petitions on the No 10 site set up under Tony Blair proved popular.

One calling for an end to road pricing was signed by 1.6 million people.
Any petitions, which will be hosted on the DirectGov website that are deemed "libellous or offensive" or "related to honours and appointments" will be barred from the website, as will posting more than one petition on a single subject.

If a petition reaches the required amount of signatures, it may be discussed by the backbench business committee of MP. This committee has the power to propose debates on non-Government matters.

Sir George said: "Today's launch represents another step towards a more accessible and transparent Parliament. In recent weeks, Parliament has been at the centre of public interest, by leading the debate on phone-hacking allegations.

"But this shouldn't mean that Parliament becomes complacent. There's much more that we can do to build confidence in the work of the House of Commons and we should continue to find new ways of encouraging people to engage.

"The public already have many opportunities to make their voices heard in Parliament, and this new system of e-petitions could give them a megaphone."

New e-petitions can be created now and it is expected the first will be published the week commencing Monday 8 August 2011.

Responses to e-petitions submitted to the previous administration can be viewed on the HMG e-petitions responses page. There is also a full archive of the Number 10 petitions on the National Archives site.