§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services why it took the Minister for Health from 23 February until 16 May to reply to a letter from the right hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent, South on the subject of organ transplantation.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeI am sorry that the right hon. Member did not receive a reply sooner. We have recently been the subject of a number of organised lobbying campaigns which have substantially increased the volume of ministerial correspondence and caused unavoidable delays in all our replies.