§ Mr. LawsTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of written parliamentary questions received by his Department in 2001–02 were not answered substantively within(a) two weeks, (b) one month and (c) three months; and if he will make a statement. [93445]
§ John HealeyTreasury Ministers attach importance to answering parliamentary questions promptly. In the 2001–02 session, 4,618 of the 5,888 written questions to the Treasury (78.4 per cent.) received substantive replies on or before the due date for answering. 111 (1.9 per cent. of the total) had not been answered within two weeks, 57 (1.0 per cent.) within one month and 43 (0.7 per cent.) within three months. In the 2002[en rule]03 session to date, 76.7 per cent. of all written questions have been answered on time.
Number of applications for Attendance Allowance received, successful and unsuccessful each quarter from September 2000 Received Successful Unsuccessful September—November 2000 101,715 78,680 25,415 December 2000—February 2001 90,745 66,130 21,380 March—May 2001 103,190 77,405 24,720 June—August 2001 102,050 75,870 23,525 September—November 2001 97,470 76,395 23,110 December 2001—February 2002 87,690 68,290 20,470 March—May 2002 107,395 79,740 22,560 June—August 2002 96,870 74,365 21,595 September—November 2002 99,905 80,745 23,185 The figures for successful and unsuccessful claims relate to the decisions given during that period and will not necessarily equate to the number of claims received during the period.
Further data regarding appeals is not available at this time.
Actual average clearance times AACT (in working days) for normal rules (NR) claims, reconsiderations and appeals (Attendance Allowance) April 2000 to December 2002 AACT Total quarter Date NR claims Reconsiderations Appeals 2000–01 1 April-June 2000 36.1 58.7 68.8 2 July-September 2000 31.8 50.0 69.7 3 October-December 2000 26.4 44.6 55.7 4 January-March 2001 26.7 40.1 47.9 2001–02 1 January-March 2001 26.0 35.0 38.9 2 July-September 2001 27.9 36.8 36.1 3 October-December 2001 28.9 36.9 36.8 4 January-March 2002 25.4 36.5 34.2 2002 1 April-June 2002 24.6 34.1 33.4 2 April-June 2002 26.6 32.8 32.2 3 October-December 2002 24.1 32.2 31.8