§ Mr. SandersTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if his Department operates a monitoring exercise of persistent inquirers for information. [42633]
§ Dr. Howells[holding answer 19 May 1998]: From April 1997 to March 1998 the DfEE's Public Inquiry Unit handled over 150,000 telephone inquiries and over 25,000 items of correspondence.
The Department has no monitoring exercise of persistent inquiries for information. All requests for information are handled in line with the requirements of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information: second edition (1997) and the 6 Whitehall Standards. Procedures in place are outlined in `Departmental Openness', DfEE's guidance on the Code. The guidance is comprehensive and is available to all staff. Some parts of the Department may have established named individuals as a first point of contact for frequent callers to facilitate an effective and efficient service.