§ Sir Geoffrey Finsbergasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many letters which have been with his Department for four, six, eight, 10 and over 12 weeks, respectively, as at 10 April and which were from Members of Parliament remain without substantive replies from his Department.
§ Mr. Fowler[pursuant to his reply, 25 April 1984, c. 571]: The figures requested are 533, 296, 185, 91 and 193, respectively.
Ministers in my Department reply to 25,000 to 30,000 letters a year from Members of Parliament. In many cases these letters require local inquiries to be made of health authorities or the Department's local offices. This can often cause delay. In many local cases hon. Members may find it quicker to approach the manager of their DHSS local office or the chairman of their district health authority. I propose to write shortly to all hon. Members to explain how this can best be done.