§ Andrew MackinlayTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if there is a policy in his Department relating to the receipt and processing of letters from local authorities in relation to(a) their acknowledgement, (b) the normal period for the dispatch of a substantive reply and (c) when it is appropriate to dispatch an interim or holding reply; and if he will make a statement. [90497]
§ Mr. Paul MurphyMy Department complies with the Six Service Standards for General Government. To meet the key standard of answering letters quickly and clearly, the Department has set itself a target of responding, in full, within 15 working days of receipt. This is in regard to general correspondence and would include any responses to local authorities. The procedures my Department follow are in accord with the Government guidance which requires that correspondence be acknowledged on receipt or within a688W targeted period and if it becomes clear that a full reply cannot be provided within the deadline, then a holding reply will issue.
Following the guidance from Cabinet Office on the handling of correspondence from Members of Parliament, the Department has set itself a target time of replying to this type of correspondence within 10 working days. As with other correspondence, the Department strives to issue a substantive reply within the target time. When this is not possible, an interim or holding reply issues as a matter of courtesy and to reassure the correspondent that their letter has been received and that action is being taken.