HC Deb 12 July 1973 vol 859 c400W
Mr. Arthur Lewis

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will investigate how and why it took one of his Ministers until 4th July to notify the hon. Member for West Ham, North that his letter of 12th June did not fall within his ministerial responsibilities and had been passed on to another Minister within the Department; and whether he will take action to prevent such happenings in the future.

Mr. R. Carr

The letter of 4th July was intended as a courtesy to the hon. Member to apologise to him for the fact that there would be a delay in replying to his letter of 12th June because the necessary inquiries into the matters he had raised were not yet complete. It informed him that a substantive reply would be sent to him as soon as possible and that it would be my noble Friend rather than my hon. and learned Friend, to whom the hon. Member had written, who would be replying on my behalf.