 Petitioning the Scottish Parliament A public petition is one way for you to raise an issue in the Scottish Parliament and can lead to a change in the way things work in Scotland. There are no age limits and you only need one signature, your own. There are some rules on the issues you can raise in a petition. It must be within the Scottish Parliament's powers, relate to national policy or practice. It can't be about a local matter or an individual or personal case. The most effective petitions are short. Clear and concise You can start a petition online using the Parliament's petition system. If you wish to submit it in another format, contact the committee clerks. Once we receive your petition, the clerks will review it against the Parliament's rules and standards for petitioning. If it meets with these, it will be published on the Parliament's website. You will have a chance to gather signatures on your petition online, but you can choose not to do this. Your petition will then be scheduled for consideration by the Public Petitions Committee. Some petitioners may be invited to attend a committee meeting to talk about their issue in person. When the committee considers your petition, it will decide what action it wishes to take. This may include asking for information from the Scottish Government, other public bodies, organisations or individuals, referring the petition to another Scottish Parliament committee, making recommendations to the Scottish Government. Sometimes it may decide to take no further action and close the petition. Find out more at www.parliament.scot or email info at parliament.scot.