Petitions committee goes international!

There will be an international dimension to the committee's work over the next couple of weeks.

The Clerk of the Malawi National Assembly is visiting the Scottish Parliament this week for discussions about our procedures. This is the latest in a series of meetings and exchanges between the two legislatures. I'm meeting the Clerk tomorrow afternoon to discuss the ability, through petitions, of people to influence change be that in legislation or others areas. I've met with colleagues from Malawi a couple of times before so I'm looking forward to this.

Next week the Committee will be holding a further videoconference with the Petitions Committee of the Australian House of Representatives in Canberra.
http://www.aph.gov.au/House/committee/petitions/index.htm
They are conducting an inquiry into e-petitions and this will provide an opportunity to share experiences. A videoconference was held last December following a visit to the Parliament by Julia Irwin MP, the Chair of the committee a couple of months before.

The Australia connection continues when at the end of the month the Convener meets the Speaker and Clerk of the Victoria Legislative Assembly to discuss petitions during their visit to the SP
http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/assembly/FactSheet8/facts8.html

I'll keep you posted of the outcomes from these various meetings.
Fergus, Clerk to PPC