LORD
CHANCELLOR'S
DEPARTMENT ADMINISTRATION
23. What changes, if any, have been
made or are planned in the administrative structure of the Lord
Chancellor's Department since May 1997?
The only major change in the Department's administrative
structure since May 1997 has been the creation of a Communications
Group, headed at Departmental Board level by the newly created
post of Director of Communications, to which Allan Percival was
appointed in May 1998.
24. How many of the 52 persons at levels
within the Senior Civil Service (see Table 15) have had significant
working experience outside (a) the Lord Chancellor's Department
(and agencies) (b) the civil service?
Of the 55 permanent Senior Civil Service members
within the Department at 1 April 1998:
(a) Nineteen have significant working experience
of the civil service outside the Lord Chancellor's Department
("the Department" includes the Court Service and Public
Trust Office agencies, but excludes the Public Record Office and
HM Land Registry); and
(b) Thirty-seven have had significant working
experience outside the civil service.
25. What current statistics are available
for the time taken to deal with correspondence from Members of
Parliament?
The Department has set a target for responding
to correspondence from Members of Parliament, Peers and Members
of the European Parliament of 20 working days from the date of
receipt of any such correspondence.
For the calendar year 1997, the Lord Chancellor
and Parliamentary Secretary received 2,458 such letters. The 20
working day target was achieved in 75.8 per cent of cases.
For the first five months of 1998, 1,822 letters
were received. The 20 working day target was achieved in 76.5
per cent of cases over this period. Performance in the year to
date has been improving. In May 1998, 200 letters were received
and the 20 working day target was achieved in 89.11 per cent of
cases.
July 1998
4 
