§ Mr. Tom Clarkeasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will indicate the average time taken by his Department to provide a substantive answer to letters from right hon. and hon. Members during the 12 months period to the latest available date.
§ Mr. Peter BottomleyI regret that the information is not available in the form requested. However, a sample survey taken for all replies despatched in the month of June shows that the average time taken to reply was 15 working days. If the hon. Member is concerned about a delay on a particular case I would be very willing to look into the matter.