§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to her answer of 26 March 2002,Official Report, column 887W, on correspondence, for what reasons 13 per cent. of letters from hon. Members and 10 per cent. of letters from members of the public were not answered within the target period. [50342]
§ Clare ShortDelays occurred for a variety of reasons. These include, while seeking agreement across Whitehall on a reply when more than one Department had an interest, when letters were transferred between Departments when the lead responsibility to reply was unclear and while waiting for an agreed standard line to campaign letters. Less frequently replies were not sent996W within the target period because the information required was not immediately available, for example when seeking information from sources overseas.