§ Mr. Ian BruceTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how long on average it takes his Department to answer letters from hon. Members; what target date his Department sets; what percentage receive replies within the target date; and what assessment he has made of how long it takes to deliver a letter after it has been typed. [27037]
§ Mr. Straw[holding answer 2 February 1998]: On average it currently takes my Department 35 days to reply to letters from hon. Members. Taking the Home Office, Immigration Service and United Kingdom Passport Agency together, 13 per cent. of replies meet the target 587W time of 15 days to answer. Her Majesty's Prison Service answers 18 per cent. of letters within its target of 20 days. The delivery of a reply depends, among other things, upon the availability of a Minister for its signature upon return from typing. Signed replies are then delivered to the House. There has been a significant increase in correspondence since last May, and one result is that average times have increased.
I am not satisfied with the way my Department deals with correspondence from hon. Members, and a project to improve the handling of correspondence is therefore underway, which should ensure a more timely and efficient service both to hon. Members and to the public.