§ Mr. GillTo ask the Prime Minister what period of time is recommended in Government guidelines for public consultations. [84900]
§ The Prime MinisterThe Cabinet Office guidelines state that eight weeks should generally be the minimum response time for all consultation exercises, but whenever possible more should be allowed. Where less than eight weeks is allowed, the consultation document should456W specify why a longer response time could not have been given (for example, pre-determined statutory periods for consultation, threats to health, the pace of EU negotiations or long-standing existing arrangements). For consultations with clearly defined or specialist groups, shorter consultation periods may suffice, depending on the nature of the subject and the scale of the exercise: this is for departments, agencies and other bodies to judge according to the circumstances.