Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of (a) ordinary and (b) named-day written questions their Department answered on time in 2022.
Defra attaches great importance to the effective and timely handling of Parliamentary Questions (PQs) and correspondence, and officials seek to provide the highest level of service.
All departments have access to regular training led by the Parliamentary Capability Team through the Government Campus.
To complement the work of the Parliamentary Capability Team, Defra provides tailored training and advice for Defra staff specific to PQs and correspondence to drive up the quality and timeliness of our responses.
Response rates for 2022 are in the table below:
Question type | Due for answer | Answered on time | Percentage |
Named Day | 835 | 494 | 59% |
Ordinary Written | 1944 | 1213 | 62% |
Total | 2779 | 1707 | 61% |