Written question asked by Alan Williams (Labour) on Monday, 19 July 1999, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 22 July 1999. It was answered by Lord Foulkes of Cumnock (Labour) on Thursday, 22 July 1999 on behalf of the Department for International Development.

Dept for International Development

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what is the average time for a substantive reply to be sent to honourable Members' correspondence; what proportion takes more than (a) four weeks, (b) six weeks and (c) eight weeks; and what is her estimate of the number of letters received in a year from honourable Members. - Including ref to 11 June 1999, 332 c403-5W and fact that more detailed information could be provided only at disproportionate costs.

Answer: Mr. Alan Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what is the average time for a substantive reply to be sent to hon. Members' correspondence; what proportion takes more than (a) four weeks, (b) six weeks and (c) eight weeks; and what is her estimate of the number of letters received in a year from hon. Members. [92447] Mr. Foulkes: I refer my right hon. Friend to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office to my hon. Friend the Member for Lincoln (Gillian Merron) on 11 June 1999, Official Report, columns 403-06, which sets out performance against departmental targets for answering correspondence from right hon. and hon. Members, in the 1998 calendar year. More detailed information about the percentage of correspondence replied to within the time scales specified could be provided only at disproportionate costs.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 92447; 335 c598W;335 c600W
Session: 1998-99
Subjects: Administrative delays Correspondence Department for International Development Government departments Members Standards