Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru Y Pwyllgor Deisebau	National Assembly for Wales Petitions Committee
Adolygiad o'r System ddeisebau Cymru y Cynulliad Cenedlaethol	Review of the National Assembly for Wales Petitions System
Ymateb gan: Cyngor Sir y Fflint	Response from: Flintshire County Council

Flintshire County Council

Petitions Consultation Response

1. A Petitions Committee does seem the best way to ensure that petitions receive proper attention.  The size and composition does not seem inappropriate but experience of how the committee is operated may lead the Assembly to believe a change is appropriate.

2. Yes – Guidance on the proper form for petitions would assist, together with published rules making clear what would be inadmissible.  This should include the matters referred to in 3.4 and 4.2.  There should also be some limit on the length of wording to the petition.  If the rules for what amount to admissible petitions are published there is greater transparency and less grounds for complaint when a petition is ruled inadmissible.

3. The minimum number of signatures (10) seems too low to warrant consideration by the committee and should be increased to approximately 1000.  The same minimum number should apply to organisations.

4. Yes – The Assembly should not consider petitions on matters where individual local authorities have the main responsibility.

5. No local authority responsibility should be the subject of petitions to the Assembly.  The public should be advised to submit their petitions to the relevant local authority.

6. Yes, as such bodies are not democratically accountable to their electorates.

7. No and this should be made clear in the published details of inadmissible petitions.

8. Yes

9. No

10. Greater transparency concerning the processes of dealing with petitions.

11. Yes

12. They should be closed as soon as it is clear that they cannot be resolved.

13. Only paper petitions or those collected on the Assembly’s own website should be considered.  There should be a set period of time for a petition to gather signatures such as 8 weeks.

14. Petitions should only be from those who reside within the UK.  There should be no age restriction.  Political parties, Assembly members and their staff should be prevented from submitting petitions given their other means of access to the political process.

15. Yes.  The committee’s time should not be wasted on vexatious or repetitive petitions.