Mr. SproutTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the average time taken by the Ministers in his Department, including himself, to answer letters from hon. Members, in each of the first three quarters of 1992, measuring the time from the receipt of the letter to the dispatch of the substantive reply.
§ Sir John CopeThe average number of working days between a letter being received and the dispatch of the reply was:
Letters posted Number Average working days Ql 4,409 15 Q2 1,126 17 Q3 3,332 22 From November 1992, new targets were introduced for the dispatch of replies to letters from hon. Members:
Letters for ministerial reply on matters concerning Her Majesty's Treasury: reply to be posted within 15 working days;
Letters for ministerial reply on matters concerning other Chancellor's Departments, including Inland Revenue and Her Majesty's Customs and Excise: reply to be posted within 18 working days;
Letters for ministerial reply on matters requiring a report from a local Inland Revenue tax office: reply to be posted within 23 working days.