§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Prime Minister whether, in view of the fact that Government Departments in general and the Home Office in particular are taking anything from five weeks to 12 weeks to reply to letters from Members of Parliament, he will advise all Ministers and their Departments to reply more expeditiously to the mail they receive from taxpayers, generally and their Members of Parliament in particular.
§ The Prime MinisterI have recently asked Ministers to ensure that correspondence with Members of Parliament should be handled as quickly as possible, and that letters from members of the 305W public should also be answered promptly. Inevitably, delays sometimes occur because, for instance, a very large number of letters is received on a particular subject in a short period, or a full reply needs detailed investigation. But this does not detract from the general desirability of prompt replies.