§ Mr. BurnsTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for West Chelmsford of 29 May on behalf of his constituent Mr. J. Matchett of Langton Ave., Chelmsford; and if she will make a statement about the reason for the delay in replying. [8266]
§ Mr. Morley[holding answer 22 October 2001]: I apologise to the hon. Gentleman for the delay in providing a reply to his letter. My right hon. Friend the Minister for Rural Affairs replied to his letter yesterday. We have recently identified a real problem with the correspondence system which has led to a backlog of correspondence which Ministers and officials are working hard to clear. I am sorry the hon. Gentleman's letter was caught in that backlog.