§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Attorney-General 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.
§ The Attorney-GeneralI regret that precise figures are not readily available.318W Save in exceptional circumstances, letters from hon. Members are replied to by myself, by my right hon. and learned Friend the Solicitor-General or by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary. In the average case a substantive reply is sent within a week. Letters from members of the public are dealt with by my Department and where appropriate by my right hon. and hon. Friends and myself. Again the average case is dealt with within a week. My right hon. and hon. Friends and I regularly consider ways of improving on these figures within the resources available to us, and in the light of the fact that a high proportion of letters concern individual cases in respect of which information has to be obtained from sources not under our control.