§ Mr. Laurence RobertsonTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the average time taken by his Department to give full answers to letters received from hon. Members. [13957]
§ Mr. MorleyThe Department receives in excess of 10,000 letters a year from hon. Members. The figures for 1996 were published along with those of other Departments on 17 June 1997,Official Report, column 107–12. So far this year, the Department has received about 6,000 letters, 77 per cent. of which have been replied to within our target of 15 working days.