Debate: Handling Members' Correspondence - 13th May 2013

Handling Members' Correspondence Debate

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Department: Cabinet Office

Lord Maude of Horsham

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Handling Members' Correspondence

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Monday 13th May 2013

(11 years ago)

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The Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General (Mr Francis Maude)

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I am today publishing a report on Departments’ and agencies’ performance on handling Members’ and peers’ correspondence during the calendar year 2012. Details are set out in the table below. Correspondence statistics for 2011 can be found on 15 March 2012, Official Report, column 30WS.

Departmental figures are based on substantive replies unless otherwise indicated. The footnotes to the table provide general background information on how the figures have been compiled.

*Correspondence from MP/Peers to Ministers and Agency Chief Executives 2012*
Correspondence from MPs/Peers to Ministers and Agency Chief Executives¹	2012
Department or Agency	Target set for reply (working days)	Number of letter received	% of replies within target
Attorney-General’s Office	20	525	97
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills	15	10,274	84
- Companies House	10	111	99
- Insolvency Service	15	73	99
- Land Registry	15	65	80
- Met Office	10	19	74
- Ordnance Survey	10	15	87
- Skills Funding Agency	10	131	95
Cabinet Office	15	3,681	77
Charity Commission	15	309	96
Department for Communities and Local Government	10	8,819	67
- Planning Inspectorate	10²	260	97
Crown Prosecution Service	20	427	98
Department for Culture, Media and Sport3	20	5,100	88
Ministry of Defence	20⁴	5,160	88
Department for Education	15	16,413	55
Department of Energy and Climate Change	15	6,837	68
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs	15	10,968	75
- Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency	15	191	90
- Rural Payments Agency	15	240	92
Food Standards Agency
DH Ministers replies	20	212	85
FSA Chair/CE replies	20	98	87
Foreign and Commonwealth Office	20	9,635	91
Department of Health	18	17,279	98
- Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency	20	241	95
Home Office³	15	10,318	75
- Criminal Records Bureau	15	320	98
- Identity and Passport Service	15⁵	1,222	87
- UK Border Agency	20	53,395	81
Department for International Development	15	3,527	96
Ministry of Justice	15	4,887	70
- HM Courts Service and Tribunals Service	15	1,245	65
- National Archive	10^*	8	75
	15^**	12	83
- National Offender Management Service	15^*	896	68
- Office of the Public Guardian	15	163	94
	20^**	265	92
- Official Solicitor and Public Trustee	15	27	89
^*Where Ministers replied
^**Where CEO replied
Northern Ireland Office	15	534	71
Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Schools	15	247	91
Office of Fair Trading	15	610	66
Office of Gas and Electricity Markets	15	289	83
Office of the Leader of the House of Commons	15	165	97
Office of the Leader of the House of Lords	15	124	98
Office of Rail Regulation	20	38	59
OFWAT (Water Services Regulation Authority)	10	108	39
Scotland Office	15	208	91
Serious Fraud Office	20	25	80
Department for Transport	15(01/01/2012-31/08/2012)	7,148	73
	20(01/09/2012 -31/12/2012)	3,442	97
- Driver Vehicle Licensing Agency	7	1,804	99
- Driving Standards Agency	10	126	99
- Highways Agency	15	392	92
- Vehicle and Operator Services Agency	10	90	91
HM Treasury	15	16,539	53
- H M Revenue and Customs	15	2,693	57
- HMRC CEO^*	15	8,939	60
^*Cases where the HMRC’s Chief Executive has replied directly, rather than Ministers
Treasury Solicitor’s Department	10	16	100
Wales Office	15	132	81
Department for Work and Pensions	20	20,613	94
- Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission^6*	15	1,956	100
- Health and Safety Executive^*	15	142	97
- DWP Operations^7*	15	3,775	97
^*Letters sent direct to Chief Executive/Officials
¹Departments and agencies which received 10 MPs/Peers letters or fewer are not shown in this table. Holding or interim replies are not included unless otherwise indicated. The report does not include correspondence considered as Freedom of Information requests. ²Target from 19/03/2012, previously seven days. ³Government Equalities Office was part of Home Office from January-August and then part of DCMS from September-December. During the year the GEO’s performance was 74%. ⁴Target from March 2012, previously 15 days. ⁵Target previously 10 working days up to April 2012. ⁶The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission was abolished on 30 July 2012. From 1 August 2012, operational correspondence from MPs and Peers relating to child maintenance became the responsibility of the Child Support Agency within DWP. ⁷With effect from 1 October 2011, correspondence activity relating to Jobcentre Plus and the Pensions, Disability and Carers Service was merged under the organisation of the Chief Operating Officer within DWP.

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