Debate on fuel prices supported by an E-petition
16 November 2011
Robert Halfon MP appeared before the Backbench Business Committee to request a debate on fuel prices supported by an e-petition.
The committee heard that many backbench Members wished to debate the issue of fuel prices, which has also been the subject of an e-petition.
The debate took place on Tuesday 15 November 2011 in the House of Commons. Watch the debate on Parliament TV and read the views expressed by MPs in Commons Hansard.
- Parliament TV: Debate on fuel prices
- Commons Hansard: Debate on fuel prices
- E-petition: Cheaper petrol and diesel, by Robert Halfon MP and Fairfuel UK (external site)
How this subject was selected
The subject for this debate was determined by the Backbench Business committee following a representation by Mr Robert Halfon MP at a public meeting of the committee on 1 November 2011.
Watch the meeting where this debate was decided upon on Parliament TV and read an uncorrected transcript of the session.
- Parliament TV: Backbench Business Committee 1 November 2011
- Transcript of representations made on Tuesday 1 November 2011
E-Petitions
E-Petitions which have collected more than 100,000 signatures on the Government's e-petitions website are sent to the House of Commons. The Office of the Leader of the House of Commons checks the petition against the terms and conditions for e-petitions and the rules of the House of Commons.
The Backbench Business Committee has published guidance on the e-petitions process to help the organisers of petitioners know how to take their case forward.
- Guidance for e-Petitioners
- HM Government's e-petitions website (external website)
Backbench Business Committee
The Backbench Business Committee meets every week to consider requests for debates from any backbench Members of Parliament on any subject. This includes subjects suggested by constituents where there is no e-petition, or where there is a traditional paper petition.
When considering petitions, the committee will follow its usual procedure of hearing a sponsoring Member or Members of Parliament making the case for a debate. The committee will only be able to schedule a debate on a petition if several Members of Parliament tell the committee that they will take part in the debate.
The committee then has to decide how to allocate the very limited Parliamentary time it has at its disposal; demand always outstrips supply. The committee's meetings are always conducted in public and can be watched on Parliament TV.