Citing a lack of follow-up action, the Parliamentary Petitions Committee is demanding that ministries and other committees fulfill the pledges made after public petition debates.
The Parliamentary Petitions Committee is taking action to address a systematic failure in implementing the outcomes of publicly debated petitions, urging responsible ministries and committees to fulfill their promises.
Committee President Francine Closener of the Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party (LSAP) stated that follow-up actions pledged during debates in the Chamber of Deputies often fail to materialise. "It has become apparent that very often this follow-up has not been carried out", Closener said. She emphasised that even if it is not a priority for the relevant bodies, it is "not right" to neglect this duty, adding, "If we want petitioners to feel, and to actually be, taken seriously, we must guarantee this follow-up".
To enforce this, the committee has sent a series of formal reminders to the concerned ministers and committees. Recent debates on the inclusion of LGBTQIA+ topics in schools were cited as examples where follow-up was lacking.
Additionally, the committee has instituted a new procedural check. During its meeting on Tuesday, it was decided that a systematic review will now be conducted three months after every public petition debate to monitor the progress of promised actions.
Closener underscored the importance of these measures for public trust, stating the committee "would really like the petitioner's rights to be respected and for the follow-up to be done, because otherwise, it will be normal for people to say to themselves: 'There's no point in me signing if, in the end, nothing happens'."
