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Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Bill [HL]

My Lords, unfortunately, I do not support the noble Lord, Lord Greaves, in seeking to leave out Clause 10. We on these Benches are not opposed to an e-petition scheme; on the contrary, we believe that it is likely to assist both the local authority and those making petitions. I seldom compliment the Government on what they do but the introduction of the online petition scheme at Downing Street has been very useful in providing the oxygen of publicity on various causes, such as the Lisbon treaty and a new bank holiday. Members of the House may disagree on whether the petitioners were right or wrong, but if we are looking for an increased engagement between local people and local authorities, Clause 10 may help to facilitate that.