§ Mr. BurnsTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many and what proportion of letters received by his Department between 20 June and 20 July were replied to(a) in under 15, (b) in under 20, (c) in under 30, (d) in under 40 and (e) in over 40 working days; [18586]
(2) how many letters his Department received from hon. and right hon. Members between 20 June and 20 July. [18566]
§ Dr. MoonieThe Ministry of Defence does not record centrally the total number of letters it receives. However, between 20 June and 20 July 2001, the Department received 478 pieces of correspondence from hon. and right hon. Members, Members of the European Parliament, Members of the devolved legislatures and Peers, which received substantive replies from Ministers as follows:
Number of working days Number of pieces of correspondence
Percentage replied to
Within 15 426 89 Within 20 453 95 Within 30 460 96 Within 40 468 98 Over 40 10 2 Ministers also received 662 pieces of correspondence for answer from members of the public during this period.