Petition system criticised after 'damp squib' debate

Since its launch six years ago, the online petition platform has seen nearly 600 submissions

A Jersey resident has criticised the petition system, which allows public issues to be presented to the government as a "damp squib".

Since 2017, when it was agreed e-petitions could be submitted to the assembly, a total of 87 topics had received ministerial responses, the States said.

Paul Troalic, who started a petition asking the government to take the tax off peoples' pensions, said the system was "flawed".

Constable Karen Shenton-Stone, from the committee overseeing a review of the system, said: "We desperately do want to improve it."

A survey about the petition system is open until Monday 31 March, the Privileges and Procedures Committee said

If a petition garners 1,000 signatures, ministers must respond.

With 5,000 signatures, the issue can be debated in the States, which has happened seven times so far from nearly 600 petitions that have been submitted.

Mr Troalic's petition reached the 5,000-signature threshold to be discussed in the States.

However, he expressed disappointment with the debate's outcome.

"It was really a damp squib, to be perfectly honest," he said.

"The members could barely get a quorum in the assembly.

System 'flawed'

"At one point, the bailiff had to call people in from the tea room because they were supposedly not interested enough to sit and debate it."

Mr Troalic also criticised the petition system's limitations.

"Well, clearly the system is flawed, because the only people that can sign the petition are people that have a facility to go online and sign the petition," he said.

"This is the only method that the government allows at the present time.

"We feel in our heart of hearts that the number of people that signed could have doubled in size, but people were prevented from signing the petition because they didn't have an online facility and they couldn't use somebody else's online facility."

Mrs Shenton-Stone highlighted the positive changes brought about by petitions including on exemptions in fuel duties, rental price caps.

"We desperately do want to improve it, and we think the best way to do that is to go out to the public and garner that view," she said.

Residents can participate in a survey about the petition system on the States' website.