Petitioning Parliament and Government

The current system for petitioning Parliament and the Government was established at the start of the 2015 Parliament. The joint e-petitions system allows the public to create a petition online calling for action from the Government or Parliament. The Government responds to petitions that attract 10,000 signatures. Petitions that reach 100,000 signatures are considered for debate in Parliament.

This paper looks at the current system of petitioning Parliament and the Government and the role of the Petitions Committee established in 2015. It also provides a brief overview of the petition systems of the devolved legislatures.

The 2015 Commons Library Briefing Paper on e-Petitions looks at the background to the introduction of a new joint petitions system and a new Petitions Committee.