§ Mr. SteenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many officials he employed(a) full time and (b) part time in his Department in each of the last three years to answer letters sent to him from hon. Members; and what was the estimated overall cost of replying to them in each of the last three years. [5620]
§ Mr. HowardMy Department employs no staff exclusively to answer letters from hon. Members. Answers are prepared by a large number of officials as part of their normal duties. No estimate is readily available of the current overall cost of replies. However, in 1994, Home Office Ministers received more than 21,000 letters from hon. Members.