§ Mr. SproatTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what was the average time taken by the Ministers in his Department, including himself, to answer letters from hon. Members, in each of the first three quarters of 1992, measuring the time from the receipt of the letter to the dispatch of the substantive reply.
§ Mr. NorrisThe average time taken by Ministers in the Department of Transport, including the Secretary of State, to answer letters from hon. Members, in each of the first three quarters of 1992, measuring the time from the receipt of the letter to the despatch of the substantive reply is as follows:
- 1 January—31 March—average response time=14.93 working days.
- 1 April—30 June—average response time=15.98 working days.
- 1 July—30 September—average response time=14.83 working days.
The target for ministerial correspondence in the Department of transport from letter in to reply out is 15 working days or less.