Oral Answers to Questions

Richard Ottaway Excerpts

Thursday 20th January 2011 Commons Chamber

[Jake Berry (Rossendale and Darwen) (Con)]

3. What recent progress he has made on the Government’s plans to link petitions to debates in the House.

[Richard Ottaway (Croydon South) (Con)]

5. What recent progress he has made on the Government’s plans to link petitions to debates in the House.

[Henry Smith (Crawley) (Con)]

6. What recent progress he has made on the Government’s plans to link petitions to debates in the House.

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr Heath]

That is exactly the sort of issue that might well commend itself for a debate via the petition system. I commend my hon. Friend for his vigorous campaigning on the issue. Rather than wait for that to happen, he might like to pursue the option of having an Adjournment debate in order to debate the matter further.

[Richard Ottaway]

Can the Minister say what a “direct portal” is? As I understand it, petitions were made to No. 10, so I hope he is going to confirm that petitions will now go to the House of Commons and that the House of Commons will debate petitions to it, not to No. 10.

[Mr Heath]

Well, the petitions will be to the House of Commons, but the Government’s site will be used simply because it is there. The “Directgov” site is the common site for connexions via the internet to Government. I believe that the address is www.direct.gov.uk, so the hon. Gentleman might like to look at it and see whether it is a sensible portal to use—if he accepts the word “portal” at all.