Consultation (Hansard, 23 July 2002)

§ Mr. Don Foster
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the public consultations undertaken by her Department since 1997, indicating for each consultation(a) if copies were available online, (b) if copies were available ire print, (c) the date the time period given for responses opened and (d) the date the time period given for responses closed. [69795]

§ Estelle Morris
The information requested has been placed in the Libraries.

§ Dr. Iddon
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which consultation documents published by her Department in 2001 were not made available as paper copies. [69824]

§ Estelle Morris
All consultation documents published by my Department in 2001 were made available in both paper and electronic formats.

§ Dr. Iddon
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether consultation documents published by her Department in 2001 carried the consultation criteria as recommended in the Cabinet Office Code of Practice on Written Consultations. [70086]
986W

§ Estelle Morris
My Department reproduced the consultation criteria from the Cabinet Office Code of Practice on Written Consultations in 25 per cent. of the consultation documents published in 2001. All on-line consultations have two available links to the Cabinet Office Code of Practice.

§ Dr. Iddon
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether her Department has a designated consultation co-ordinator in accordance with the Cabinet Office Code of Practice on Written Consultations. [69825]

§ Estelle Morris
Yes, my Department does have a designated consultation co-ordinator.

§ Dr. Iddon
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many consultation documents published in 2001 in(a) electronic and (b) printed form his Department has monitored and evaluated in accordance with the Cabinet Office Code of Practice on Written Consultations. [69822]

§ Estelle Morris
All 66 consultations carried out by my Department in 2001 were available electronically, in printed form and were included in the Cabinet Office monitoring and evaluation return for 2001.

§ Dr. Iddon
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many complaints her Department has received about its 2001 consultations by(a) electronic and (b) printed means. [69823]

§ Estelle Morris
I have not received any formal complaints about my Department's 2001 consultations. However, I have responded to feedback from respondents to improve consultations.

§ Dr. Iddon
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills in what format her Department has published the results of its 2001 written consultations. [69846]

§ Estelle Morris
The favoured format for publication of results is electronic, via the Consultation website at www.dfes.gov.uk/consultations. Other methods have also been used including: press releases, notifying individuals and by placing results in the House of Commons Library.

§ Dr. Iddon
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how long her Department allowed for consultation on each consultation document it published in 2001 in(a) electronic and (b) printed form. [70085]

§ Estelle Morris
Of the 66 consultations my Department published in 2001,36 per cent. allowed 12 weeks or more for consultation, 27 per cent. allowed 8–12 weeks and 18 per cent. under 8 weeks. All consultations were available in printed and electronic formats. In planning consultations with the public, my Department complies with the Cabinet Office Code of Practice on Written Consultation, applying formal exemptions where appropriate. The introduction to the Code of Practice also states thatoccasionally, being a responsive government means acting quickly, because it is clearly in the public interest to do so".