§ Mr. PawseyTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information his Department has on the length of time taken to respond to letters from hon. Members.
§ Mr. MaudeAs a general rule, letters from hon. Members should receive a substantive reply within a three-week period. In practice, the large majority of letters will receive a reply within two weeks. Exceptionally, replies to some letters about complicated immigration cases or matters receiving considerable public attention at the time of writing, may be delayed until a substantive reply can be sent. In most cases the delay should be no longer than four weeks.