§ Lord Harris of Greenwichasked Her Majesty's Government:
Why three Questions tabled in December 1999 had not received replies by 2 February 2000. [HL912]
§ The Minister of State, Cabinet Office (Lord Falconer of Thoroton)The Government take very seriously this responsibility to ensure that noble Lords who table parliamentary Questions (PQs) receive considered and accurate Answers within the agreed time limit of 14 days, and they endeavour to meet that target where possible.
However, some PQs, particularly those that raise complex issues that require input from two or more government departments, or that require the collation of information from a number of sources, can take longer. Of the three Questions you refer to, two, HL277 and HL255, fell into this category. An administrative mix-up delayed the answering of the other, HL398.
I am pleased to say that full Answers have now been provided to all three.