§ Mrs. RoeTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department at what stage(a) drafts and (b) copies of letters from chief executives of agencies within his responsibility, in response to parliamentary questions, are submitted to Ministers.
Mr. John M. TaylorChief executives reply direct on matters of operational responsibility delegated to them. Their replies are, therefore, primarily a communication between the chief executive and the Member of Parliament who asks the question. Unless a chief executive chooses to ask me for advice on an operational matter, I never clear or check the detailed replies given by chief executives in answer to parliamentary questions.
The Lord Chancellor and I receive copies of chief executives' letters once the letters have been sent to Members of Parliament and we have the opportunity to see them when they are published in Hansard, unless their personal or confidential nature precludes their publication in this way.