HC Deb 29 March 2001 vol 365 cc742-3W
Dr. Tonge

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the average response time for answering parliamentary written questions in his Department is; and how many responses have taken more than 24 working days in the last 12 months. [155135]

Mr. Robin Cook

My Department aims to answer all ordinary written parliamentary questions within five working days and as many named day written parliamentary questions as possible on the day named. The information required to provide the average response time for all written questions could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. In the last 12 months, the FCO took more than 24 days to respond to only three questions out of a total of more than 1,300 written questions answered.