§ Mr. Lathamasked the Prime Minister whether she will request all Departments to ensure that when correspondence from an hon. Member to a Minister has to be transferred to another Department, the transfer shall be undertaken within 48 hours of receipt of the correspondence by the first Department.
§ The Prime MinisterAs I have said before—on 4 March 1982 at column 196—I would hope that my ministerial colleagues would keep up the pressure to ensure that Members' correspondence is dealt with speedily, and that all except particularly complex inquiries receive a reply within three to four weeks. They will, I am sure, note my hon. Friend's point.
Surveys carried out last year by the Management and Personnel Office found that Departments generally accorded high priority to Members' letters and had rigorous systems for processing them, although there is an occasional lapse—as in the case about which I have recently corresponded with my hon. Friend. If he is aware of a more general problem, perhaps he would let me know.