Standing Orders provide that the Clerk shall refer a copy of the material parts of every petition presented to and received by the House to the Minister responsible for the administration of the matter which is the subject of the petition.

The Minister shall forward a response to a petition to the Clerk within 30 days. The Clerk:

(a) tables the response
(b) forwards a copy of the response to the Member of Parliament who presented the petition
(c) forwards a copy of the response to the principal petitioner
(d) ensures the response is published on the Parliament’s Internet website.

If the House is not sitting when the Clerk receives a ministerial response to a petition, the response is deemed to be tabled when it is received by the Clerk.

If a Minister can not provide a ministerial response to a petition within 30 days, the Minister shall forward to the Clerk an interim response and the Minister’s reasons for not complying within 30 days and within three months after the petition is presented, forward to the Clerk a final response.