Petition · past parliament
Legislate to ensure effective sanctions for contempt of Parliament
Closed
106 signatures
What the petition asks
While the Select Committees of the House of Commons can seek witnesses and evidence they have no effective sanction for when compliance is denied, attendance refused or evidence destroyed. This clearly must be brought to an abrupt end.
Select Committees must be given the power to compel obedience to their summonses. Legislation should give courts the power to impose sanctions such as a maximum sentence of two years or £250,000 fine.
All that should be needed is a Resolution of the Committee endorsed by the Whole House. A Committee could also issue a Search Order if they feared destruction of evidence. The evidence would be delivered to them thus enabling them to conduct a full enquiry whenever necessary.
All that should be needed is a Resolution of the Committee endorsed by the Whole House. A Committee could also issue a Search Order if they feared destruction of evidence. The evidence would be delivered to them thus enabling them to conduct a full enquiry whenever necessary.
Timeline
| 8 Apr 2019 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 8 Oct 2019 | Closed to new signatures |
Key facts
Signatures
106
Status
Closed
Opened
8 Apr 2019
Closed
8 Oct 2019
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.