The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform & Cabinet Office (Baroness Vadera): My honourable friend the Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office (Tom Watson) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
I am today publishing a report on departments' and agencies' performance on handling Members' and Peers' correspondence during 2008. Details are set out in the table below. 2007 correspondence statistics can be found in the Official Report, 20 March 2008, col. 71WS. 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 MPs/Peers to Ministers and Agency Chief Executives in 2008
Correspondence from MPs/Peers to Ministers and Agency Chief Executives i
2008
Department or Agency
Target set for reply (working days)
Number of letters received
% of replies within target
Attorney General’s Office
20
314
94
Department for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform ii
15
9,875
59
Companies House
10
60
100
Insolvency Service
10
430
91
Cabinet Office
15
473
93
Department for Communities and Local Government iii
15
10,227
68
2 Apr 2009 : Column WS107
Planning Inspectorate
8
186
83
Crown Prosecution Service
15
484
98
Department for Children, Schools and Families
15
15,810
86
Department for Culture, Media and Sport iv
20
4,798
58
Royal Parks Agency
20
11
100
Ministry of Defence
15
5,345
81
Met Office
10
14
100
Service Personnel and Veterans Agency
15
919
98
Department for Energy and Climate Change v
15
2,215
39
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs vi
15
14,526
68
Animal Health
15
60
93
Marine Fisheries Agency
15
23
91
Rural Payments Agency
15
396
73
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
20
10,334
87
Government Equalities Office vii
20
818
49
Department of Health
20
20,242
95
Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency
20
113
75*
20
19
88*
NHS Purchasing and Supplies Agency
20
36
94
*Agency Ministerial cases
**Letters sent directly to Agency Chief Executive or where Agency Chief Executives responded on behalf of Ministers
2 Apr 2009 : Column WS108
Food Standards Agency
20
590
76
DH Ministers replies
20
258
78 viii*
20
217
71**
FSA Chair/CE replies
20
70
95*
20
12
33**
Meat Hygiene Service
20
33
97
*response to non-campaign letters
**response to campaign letters
Home Office
15
6,933
89
Criminal Records Bureau
10
666
96
Identity and Passport Service
10
1,247
84
UK Border Agency
20
51,905
78
Department for Innovation, Universities and Science
15
5,223
74
UK Intellectual Property Office
10
19
100
Department for International Development ix
15
3,100
67
Ministry of Justice
20
5,231
82
HM Courts Service
15
38
97
Land Registry
20
88
97
National Offender Management Service x
20
537
90
Office of the Public Guardian
15
246
89
Official Solicitor and Public Trustee
15
17
100
Tribunals Service
10
1,390
89
Northern Ireland Office
15
568
82
Compensation Agency
10
66
88
Northern Ireland Prison Service
10
78
83
2 Apr 2009 : Column WS109
Office for National Statistics
15
153
88*
10
82
78**
* Letters signed by the National Statistician. Also includes 62 letters signed by HMT Ministers
** Letters sent direct National Statistician
Office of the Leader of the House of Commons
15
422
95
Office of the Leader of the House of Lords
15
11
90
HM Revenue and Customs
15
4,826
73
15
1,252
76*
* Local Office and “delegated” figures (where local tax offices have replied directly to MPs)
Scotland Office
15
102
64
Department for Transport
15
8,393
77
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency
7
1,692
99
Driving Standards Agency
10
227
62
Highways Agency
15
365
99
Vehicle and Operator Services Agency
15
56
98
HM Treasury
15
14,057
80
National Savings and Investments
15
17
88
Office of Government Commerce
15
12
83*
15
24
92**
*Letters where Ministers have replied
** Letters where Chief Executive has replied
Valuation Office
18
41
73
Treasury Solicitor's Department
10
25
88
Wales Office
15
113
80
Department for Work and Pensions
20
15,360
84
Child Support Agency
15
7,313
100
2 Apr 2009 : Column WS110
Debt Management Service
15
56
100
Disability and Carers Service
15
598
100
Health and Safety Executive
15
149
98
Jobcentre Plus
15
2,229
83
The Pension Service
15
1,477
98
i 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.
ii Implementation of new correspondence handling system led to delays in first half of the year. Issues have been resolved and led to significant improvement in performance in second half of the year.
iii Communities and Local Government's performance improved in 2008 and it continues to take measures to improve further.
iv During 2008 DCMS underwent a department-wide transformation programme, including significant changes to the central correspondence unit. This resulted in a drop in performance and efforts are being made to resolve outstanding issues as quickly as possible.
v Defra/BERR currently handle DECC correspondence. The setting up of a new department led to delays in responding to correspondence. Measures being put in place to improve correspondence performance as a matter of high priority.
vi Creation of DECC led to a significant increase in correspondence which was initially handled by Defra. Prior to this 75 per cent of correspondence was responded to within target.
vii GEO, a new department, began handling its own Ministerial correspondence in May 2008. It is making changes to improve performance of internal handling of correspondence. New internal guidance has been implemented as well as staff training.
viii The FSA and DH are working together to minimise delays in the processing of correspondence.
ix DfID is introducing changes to their correspondence handling system and will be introducing a new correspondence database in June to improve performance. The correspondence unit has been restructured and reinforced with additional staff and targets have been steadily improving since July 2008.
