§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the target time will be in 2002–03 for(a) Ministers to reply to letters from hon. Members and (b) officials in her Department to reply to letters received directly from members of the public. [44941]
§ Clare ShortThe target time for reply to all correspondence received by DFID from Members of parliament and the public remains unchanged at 15 working days; in line with the target time prescribed by the Cabinet Office. In 2001, DFID replied to 87 per cent. of MPs letters and 90 per cent. of letters/e-mails sent direct to our Public Enquiry Point, within the 15 day target. The correspondence figures for all Government departments are published annually by the Cabinet Office.