§ Mr. LivingstoneTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when he expects to reply to the letter dated 21 June from a constituent of the hon. Member for Brent,286W East, the name and address of whom have been supplied to him; and what is the Government's commitment in the citizens charter about the length of time members of the public should expect to wait for a reply from the Government.
§ Mr. WaldegraveThe Secretary of State for the Environment is responsible for the matter on which the hon. Member's constituent wrote to me. The hon. Member's constituent will therefore receive a reply from officials at the Department of the Environment. That is normal practice where a correspondent raises matters with a Minister which do not relate to that Minister's responsibilities.
I understand that my right hon. and learned Friend's officials will reply to the hon. Member's constituent by Friday, 10 July.
The citizens charter calls for all public services to set standards for response times to correspondence. These should be appropriate both to local circumstances and to the needs of their clients.