HM Government e-petitions website is now live for new petitions - you will be able to sign from 4th August 2011
e-petitions – create and sign petitions online
HM Government's e-petitions site has just been launched. Currently there aren't any e-petitions to search for or sign, however, you can create new ones.
We will begin publishing e-petitions for signing on Thursday 4th August 2011.
What are e-petitions?
e-petitions is an easy way for you to influence government policy in the UK. You can create an e-petition about anything that the government is responsible for and if it gets at least 100,000 signatures, it will be eligible for debate in the House of Commons.
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Stop and review the cuts to benefits and services which are falling disproportionately on disabled people, their carers and families
Responsible department: Department for Work and Pensions
The government were embarking on wholesale reform of the benefit system when the economic crisis struck. These welfare reforms had not been piloted and the plan was to monitor and assess the impact of the new untried approach as it was introduced in a buoyant economy. Unfortunately since then the economy has gone in to crisis and the government has simultaneously embarked on a massive programme of cuts. This has created a perfect storm and left disabled people/those with ill health, and their carers reeling, confused and afraid. We ask the government to stop this massive programme of piecemeal change until they can review the impact of all these changes, taken together, on disabled people and their carers. We ask the government to stand by its duty of care to disabled people and their carers. At the moment the covenant seems to be broken and they do not feel safe. Illness or disability could affect any one of us at any time, while many more of us are potential carers.
Open Central Government Websites
Number of and list of central government open websites – 1 July 2011
Information was reported as correct at 1 July.
The number of open websites on 1 July 2011 according to the following definitions and rules for inclusion was 444, of which central government departments have committed to close 243. Since the last annual report in June 2010 in which 820 websites were reported to be open, departments have reported approximately 200 further arms-length body websites. Adding these to those known about last year, departments have therefore already closed or committed to close approximately 80% of sites.
A list of open websites on 1 July 2011 is provided in Excel and csv format.
Background
In its Structural Reform plan, the Cabinet Office committed to begin quarterly publication of the number of open websites starting in financial year 2011. This is the first such quarterly report and they will be issued quarterly thereafter.
Definition of a website
The definition used of a website is a user-centric one. Something is counted as a separate website if it is active and either has a separate domain name or, when as a subdomain, the user cannot move freely between the subsite and parent site and there is no family likeness in the design. In other words, if the user experiences it as a separate site in their normal uses of browsing, search and interaction, it is counted as one.
Definition of a closed website
A website is considered closed when it ceases to be actively funded, run and managed by central government, either by packaging information and putting it in the right place for the intended audience on another website or digital channel, or by a third party taking and managing it and bearing the cost. Where appropriate, domains stay operational in order to redirect users to the UK Government Website Archive.
Inclusion into the Central Government list
Not included in the number or list are websites of public corporations as listed on the Office for National Statistics website, the 47 websites of partnerships more than half-funded by private sector, charities and national museums and parks. Specialist closed audience functions, such as the 7 BIS Research Councils, 28 BIS Sector Skills Councils and Industrial Training Boards, and the Defra Levy Boards and their websites, are not included in this data. The Ministry of Defence conducted their own rationalisation of MOD and the armed forces sites as an integral part of the Website Review; military sites belonging to a particular service are excluded from this dataset. Finally, those public bodies set up by Parliament and reporting directly to the Speaker’s Committee and only reporting through a Ministerial Government Department for the purposes of enaction of legislation are also excluded (for example, the Electoral Commission and IPSA).
Inclusion under Department name
Websites are listed under the Department name for which the Minister in HMG has responsibility, either directly through their Departmental activities, or indirectly through being the Minister reporting to Parliament for independent bodies set up by statute.
List of open websites
For re-usability, this is provided as Excel and CSV files.
Downloads