HC Deb 25 March 2002 vol 382 c784W
Mr. Weir

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was, for each year since 1995, the average response time for providing a substantive answer to(a) hon. Members' correspondence, (b) correspondence from members of the public and (c) written parliamentary questions in the (i) Commons and (ii) Lords. [7046]

Ms Blears

The available information is in the table.

Percentage of replies sent
to MPs within service first targets of 20 day members of the public within service first targets of 20 days
1995 79
1996 87
1997 76 4
1998 61 63
1999 47 56
2000 50 80.5
2001 60 87.5

I regret that comparable data about parliamentary questions is not readily available in the form requested because the record management database from which it is drawn is currently not reliable, for the reasons set out in the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.