HC Deb 18 April 1995 vol 258 cc95-8W
Mrs. Ann Taylor

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many parliamentary questions requesting an ordinary written answer were received by his Department in each year since 1979–80; and how many such questions received a substantive answer within 10, 15, 20 days or longer. [18467]

Mr. Jack

The information which is available only from 1993–94 is as follows:

newspaper advertising, (d) other promotion materials and activities, (e) the totals in each year of (a) to (d) the proportion of (e) that was spent on recruitment advertising; and what are his latest estimates for the years 1994–95. [17609]

Mr. Jack

Expenditure by the Department in 1992–93 and for each subsequent year was as follows:

Parliamentary Session
Number 1993–94 1994–95 upto 5 April 1995
Total received: 943 411
Answered within:
10 days 889 388
15 days 33 6
20 days or longer 21 17

Details for the earlier years are a matter of public record but could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Mrs. Ann Taylor

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many parliamentary questions to his Department in each year since 1979–80 requesting a priority written answer or answer on a named day, were answered within three days; how many received a holding reply; and how many of those which received a holding reply then received a substantive answer within a further five, 10, 15, 20 days or longer. [18468]

Mr. Jack

The information which is available only from 1993–94 is as follows:

Parliamentary Session
Number 1993–94 1994–95 upto 5 April 1995
Answered on named day 564 317
Answered within:
5 days 86 83
10 days 37 14
15 days 6 3
20 days or longer 45 2

Details for the earlier years are a matter of public record but could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Mrs. Ann Taylor

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many parliamentary questions to his Department that were transferred for answer to the chief executive or other senior official of a non-departmental public body or agency for which he has responsibility received an answer which was not printed in theOfficial Report in each year since 1979–80 or for each year that the body or agency has been in existence. [18472]

Mr. Jack

Parliamentary questions are not transferred to chief executives or other officials, although chief executives are asked to write to the Member concerned when the question seeks information about operational matters delegated to them. Information on the number of occasions letters have been written since 1979–80 which were not printed in theOfficial Report could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Mrs. Ann Taylor

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many times in each year since 1979–80 his Department has written to an hon. or right hon. Member correcting an answer to a parliamentary question. [18470]

Mr. Jack

The information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Mrs. Ann Taylor

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many times in each year since 1979–80 his Department has given a reply to a parliamentary question which has resulted in the information requested being placed in the Library and not printed in theOfficial Report. [18469]

Mr. Jack

The information requested is a matter of public record but it could be extracted in the form requested only at disproportionate cost.

Mrs. Ann Taylor

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many parliamentary questions to his Department were transferred for answer to the chief executive or other senior official of a nondepartmental public body or agency for which he has responsibility in each year since 1979–80 or for each year that the body or agency has been in existence. [18471]

Mr. Jack

Parliamentary questions are not transferred to chief executives or other officials, although chief executives are asked to write to the Member concerned when the question seeks information about operational matters delegated to them. Information on the number of occasions this has happened is readily available only from the 1993–94 Session of Parliament and is as follows:

1993–94 1994–95 upto 5 April 95
Agency Chief Executives invited to write as a result of Parliamentary Questions 16 6

Details for the earlier years are a matter of public record but could be provided only at disproportionate cost.