Your petitions and the 2017 General Election: FAQs
9 June 2017
All petitions had to close on 3 May because of the General Election. The site will remain closed until we have a new Petitions Committee. We'll keep you updated about when the site will reopen for new petitions and signatures after the election.
Why is the petitions site closed?
The petitions site is closed because the General Election meant that Parliament had to be dissolved. The petitions website is part of the official work of Parliament, so it had to stop too.
When can I start a new petition?
The petitions site will open again as soon as the House of Commons sets up a new Petitions Committee. We don't know exactly when that will happen. You can follow us on Twitter @HoCPetitions for updates, or check back on the petitions site for news if you prefer.
When will petitions be considered for debate?
Petitions will be considered for debate when the House of Commons sets up a new Petitions Committee. We don't know yet exactly when this will happen.
Why is there currently no Petitions Committee?
The General Election means that all the Committees have to stop work. New Committees will be appointed by the new House of Commons and until then, there are no Chairs or Members of Committees. The information on these pages is about the work of the Petitions Committee before the election.
What happened to the petitions?
All petitions that were open on the site are now closed and can no longer be signed. They won't be reopened. They're available for people to read on the site.
My petition got 10,000 signatures before the site closed. Will the Government still have to respond?
Yes, the Government has said that it will respond to petitions that reached 10,000 signatures before the site closed.
My petition got 100,000 signatures before the site closed. Will it get debated?
The Petitions Committee (the group of MPs who decide which petitions are debated) ceased to exist when Parliament was dissolved. There will be a new Petitions Committee, and decisions about petition debates will become the responsibility of that Committee. We don't know yet when that will happen. You can follow us on Twitter @HoCPetitions for updates, or check back on the petitions site for news if you prefer.
Will my petition be opened again after the general election?
No. You'll need to start a new petition and collect new signatures.
Can I carry over the signatures my petition has already collected?
No. You'll need to start a new petition and collect new signatures.
Further information
We'll make sure to keep this website up to date with any news about the new Petitions Committee. You can also follow us on Twitter @HoCPetitions for updates. We'll start tweeting again once a new Chair for the Committee has been elected.
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