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Written Ministerial Statements

Tuesday 16 March 2010

Cabinet Office

Members and Peers Correspondence 2009

The Minister of State, Cabinet Office (Angela E. Smith): I am publishing today a report on Departments' and agencies' performance on handling Members' and Peers' correspondence during 2009. Details are set out in the table. Correspondence statistics 2008 can be found on 2 April 2009, Official Report, columns 81-86WS. 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.

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Correspondence from MPs / Peers to Ministers and Agency Chief Executives in2009
Correspondence from MPs / Peers to Ministers and Agency Chief Executives(1)			2009
Department or Agency			Target set for reply (working days)	Number of letters received		% of replies within target
Attorney General's Office			20	192		88
Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (2)			15	17623		58
Companies House			10	96		100
Insolvency Service			10	794		74
UK Intellectual Property Office			10	481		88
Cabinet Office			15		1444		82
Charity Commission		10		214		78
Department for Children, Schools and Families		15		15256		78
Department for Communities and Local Government		15		9154		63
Planning Inspectorate		10		184		90
Crown Prosecution Service		15		483		96
Department for Culture, Media and Sport (3)		20		3215		56
Royal Parks		20		30		93
Ministry of Defence		15		6254		86
Met Office		10		14		93
Service Personnel and Veterans Agency		15		198		94
Department for Energy and Climate Change (4)		15		9071		51
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs		15		12527		73
Animal Health		15		76		93
Marine Fisheries Agency		15		35		82
Rural Payments Agency		15		406		66
Food Standards Agency
DH Ministers replies		20		408		70*
		20		584		95**
FSA Chair/CE replies		20		120		90
Meat Hygiene Service		15		22		100
* response to non-campaign letters ** response to campaign letters
Foreign and Commonwealth Office			20	10462		82
Government Equalities Office			20	1438		63
Department of Health			20	16008		93
Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency			20	516		95*
			20	22		77**
NHS Purchasing and Supplies Agency			20	33		94
*Agency Ministerial cases ** Letters sent directly to agency chief executive or where agency chief executives responded on behalf of Ministers
Home Office			15	9128		88
Criminal Records Bureau			10	933		99
Identity and Passport Service			10	1012		72
UK Border Agency			20	66320		78
Department for International Development			15	2013		95
Ministry of Justice (5)			20	4554		63
HM Courts Service			20	729		65
HM Land Registry			20	52		96
National Archives			20	60		95
National Offender Management Service			20	1723		60
Northern Ireland Court Service		20		16		88
Office of the Public Guardian		20		220		82
Official Solicitor and Public Trustee		20		32		50
Tribunals Service		20		273		66
Northern Ireland Office		15		637		85
Compensation Agency		10		15		73
Northern Ireland Prison Service		10		79		77
Office for National Statistics		10		112		79
Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Schools		7		232		58
Office of Fair Trading		15		497		72
Office of Gas and Electricity Markets		15		200		77
Office of the Leader of the House of Commons		15		418		72
Office of the Leader of the House of Lords		15		63		92
Office of Rail Regulation		20		93		92
Office of Water Services		10		404		58
Postal Services Commission		7		13		77
Scotland Office (6)		15		75		40
Serious Fraud Office		20		43		81
Department for Transport		15		9150		89
Driver Vehicle Licensing Agency		7		1486		100
Driving Standards Agency		10		185		99
Highways Agency		15		443		94
Maritime and Coastguard Agency		10		12		91
Vehicle and Operator Services Agency		10		112		98
HM Treasury (7)		15		16251		53
H M Revenue and Customs		15		5492		75
		15		774*		81
National Savings and Investments		15		19		79
Office of Government Commerce		15		47		85
		15		93**		93
* Local office and 'delegated' figures (where local tax offices have replied directly to MPs) ** Letters where chief executive has replied
Valuation Office		18		25		72
Treasury Solicitor's Department		10		32		100
Wales Office		15		101		82
Department for Work and Pensions	20			18062		76
Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission	15			6352		99
Debt Management	15			43		86
Health and Safety Executive	15			117		66
Jobcentre Plus	15			2847		93
Pension, Disability and Carers Service	15			2292		84
(1) Departments 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. (2) Includes BERR and DIUS. Following an increase in correspondence relating to the recession, a review has been undertaken to improve performance and recommendations are now being implemented. Performance rose to 73 per cent. by end of 2009. (3) An external review was undertaken mid-year, from which an action plan was agreed. Performance rose to 73 per cent. by end of 2009. (4) In 2009 DECC's correspondence was handled by a shared services system. DECC now has its own correspondence unit which will lead to an improvement in the handling of correspondence. (5) A substantial increase in the volume of correspondence received by MOJ has contributed to a downturn in performance. Measures are in place to improve correspondence handling as a matter of urgency and these have led to a significant improvement. Performance rose to 86 per cent. by end of 2009. (6) The drop in performance in 2009 is largely attributable to delays in receiving essential information. Measures have been put in place to improve our correspondence process as a matter of urgency, including systematic monitoring by senior management. (7) Performance has been affected by a significant increase in all correspondence to the Treasury, creating a backlog of cases in the first half of 2009. This has been addressed over the course of the year and performance rose to 59 per cent. by end of 2009.

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