§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether she will give the average time taken by her Department to send formal acknowledgements of receipt and replies to letters sent to her generally and by Members of Parliament in particular; how these times compare with a stated period as long ago as may be conveniently recorded; and what action she has taken or intends taking to expedite these replies to taxpayers and their elected representatives.
§ Mrs. Shirley WilliamsThe information requested is not available, and, in view of the large amount of correspondence involved, could be extracted only at disproportionate cost. It is my Department's normal practice to acknowledge letters on the day they are received, and every effort is made to send replies without undue delay. There is no reason to believe that the time taken to reply has increased.