Look, I'll be perfectly honest with you. I have never been an enormous fan of e-petitioning. I think there is a danger that it could dumb down political engagement, but one must set aside one's own opinions as chairman of a committee.
This is a serious bit of work we've done. To be honest, I can put my name to and stand behind the report we have produced. Of course, it isn't perfect, but I think it's pretty good.
Now, the government was determined to have a joint petitioning system with the House of Commons. As someone who in my own private political life favours, perhaps, the separation of powers, I could understand and have great sympathy for a petition system that is wholly owned by the House of Commons, but I'm afraid we're not at that stage. We draw our executive from the legislature.
So I think it's a good report and I think the proposals we came up with are strong proposals, but absolutely key to this working is a House of Commons petitions committee chaired by a member of Parliament with its members drawn from Parliament. I think with that in place we get a much better deal out of this than actually the government does, and I think our constituents get a better deal.