§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 30 March,Official Report, column 172, for what purpose copies of letters from chief executives of agencies within his responsibility are sent to Ministers before being sent to the hon. Members to whom they are addressed; and how many such letters have been amended as a result of this practice.
§ Miss WiddecombeReplying to parliamentary questions concerning day-to-day operational matters for which they are responsible has been delegated to the chief executive of this Department's Agencies in line with the Government's response to the Eighth Report of the Treasury and Civil Service Committee (October 1990, Cm 1263). The arrangements are kept under review. In this Department Ministers see a draft of chief executives' replies to remain informed of the actions and replies of the agencies concerned. It is not the practice of Ministers to amend such drafts.