§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he will give the average time taken by his Department to send formal acknowledgements of receipt and replies to letters sent to him 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 he has taken or intends taking to expedite these replies to the taxpayers and their elected representatives.
§ Mr. MasonThe time taken to reply varies greatly according to the nature and complexity of the inquiry. However, for the 400 replies issued by Northern Ireland Office Ministers during April 1977, the average length of time taken to reply was 18 days. All letters are acknowledged immediately upon receipt in the Department. The Northern Ireland Office and the eight Northern Ireland Departments for which I am responsible and which cover nearly the whole range of Government business in Northern Ireland are very much aware of the need to supply a speedy and accurate service in dealing with correspondence, whether it emanates from members of the public or Members of Parliament, and are constantly reviewing the arrangements and procedures for dealing with such cases to seek improvements.