§ Mr. BurnsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the hon. Member for West Chelmsford will receive substantive replies to his letters concerning his constituents (a) Mr. A. Camp, written on 2 September 1999, (b) Mr. Sobarten, written on 29 September 1999, (c) Mr. S. Tennant, written on 2 September 1999 and (d) Mr. J. M. Braouli, written on 4 August 1999. [109738]
§ Mrs. RocheI wrote to the hon. Member about Mr. Camp's case on 11 February 2000. I wrote about Mr. Tennant's case on 10 November 1999 and 14 February 2000, and about Mr. Braouli's case on 14 February 2000. We have no record of correspondence from the hon. Member about Mr. Sobarten. I assume the hon. Member is referring to his letter of 29 December about Mr. Sisawo Jobarteh to which I replied on 14 February 2000. I am extremely sorry for the delays in replying.
§ Mr. PaiceTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the hon. Member for South-East Cambridgeshire's letter on behalf of a constituent, Mrs. Anna Newton, which was acknowledged by his Office on 2 November 1999 (Reference 21142/99); and what steps he is taking to improve the timeliness of replies from his Office. [110140]
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§ Mrs. RocheI replied to the hon. Member on 14 February 2000.
Every effort is made to provide timely answers to letters sent to Ministers. Unfortunately, as in the present case, delays sometimes occur. I have reminded my officials of the need to ensure that the required priority is given to dealing with ministerial correspondence.