§ 23. Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer why it took him until 13 April to decide that the letter sent to him by the hon. Member for Newham, North-West, dated 31 March, was not for his Department and before he forwarded the same to the Department of Health and Social Security; and whether he will take action to expedite the method of dealing with mail in general and hon. Members' mail in particular.
§ Mr. LawsonI regret any delay in forwarding the hon. Member's letter to the Department of Health and Social Security. Every effort is made to identify quickly any letter that has to be forwarded to another Department, but it is not always easy to see the particular point being made by an hon. Member. I am satisfied with the general arrangements that exist for dealing with hon. Members' letters.