§ 48. Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is aware that his Department takes from four to five weeks to acknowledge letters; and whether he will ensure that all letters are acknowledged within 10 days of receipt and that after six weeks an interim explanation as to the reasons for any unavoidable delay will be sent, and take action to improve 197W the present way in which correspondence is dealt with by his Department.
§ Mr. Roy JenkinsAll letters from Members of Parliament are acknowledged on receipt.
Letters from members of the public are acknowledged where they contain valuable enclosures or where it seems unlikely that an early reply can be sent. Such acknowledgments are dispatched as quickly as possible.
The handling of all correspondence is under constant review as part of normal day-to-day management.