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Propriety and Ethics

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Annual Report on Handling Members Correspondence 2008

Correspondence from MPs / Peers to Ministers and Agency Chief Executives in 2008
Correspondence from MPs / Peers to Ministers and Agency Chief Executives12008
Department or AgencyTarget set for reply (working days)Number of letters receivedPercentage of replies within target
Attorney General’s Office 20 314 94
Department for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform2

– Companies House

– Insolvency Service		 15

10

10		 9,875

60

430		 59

100

91
Cabinet Office 15 473 93
Department for Communities and Local Government3

- Planning Inspectorate

15

8

10,227

186

68

83

Crown Prosecution Service 15 484 98
Department for Children, Schools and Families 15 15,810 86
Department for Culture, Media and Sport4

– Royal Parks Agency		 20

20		 4,798

11		 58

100

Ministry of Defence

- Met Office

- Service Personnel and Veterans Agency

15

10

15

5,345

14

919

81

100

98
Department for Energy and Climate Change 5 15 2,215 39
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 6

- Animal Health

- Marine Fisheries Agency

- Rural Payments Agency		 15

15

15

15		 14,526

60

23

396		 68

93

91

73
Foreign and Commonwealth Office 20 10,334 87
Government Equality Office7 20 818 49
Department of Health

- Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency

- NHS Purchasing and Supplies Agency

*Agency Ministerial cases

**Letters sent directly to Agency Chief Executive or where Agency Chief Executives responded on behalf of Ministers		 20

20
20

20







 20,242

113
19

36







 95

75*
88**

94
Food Standards Agency


DH Ministers replies


FSA Chair/CE replies 



- Meat Hygiene Service

* response to non-campaign letters

** response to campaign letters

20


20
20

20
20


20

590


258
217

70
12


33




 76


788*
71**

95*
33**


97
Home Office

- Criminal Records Bureau

- Identity and Passport Service

- UK Border Agency 		15

10

10

20		 6,933

666

1,247

51,905		 89

96

84

78
Department for Innovation, Universities and Science

- UK Intellectual Property Office		 15


10		 5,223


19 		74


100
Department for International Development9 15 3,100 67
Ministry of Justice

- HM Courts Service

- Land Registry

- National Offender Management Service10

- Office of the Public Guardian

- Official Solicitor and Public Trustee

- Tribunals Service

20

15

20

20


15

15


10

5,231

38

88

537


246

17


1,390

82

97

97

90


89

100


89

Northern Ireland Office

- Compensation Agency

- Northern Ireland Prison Service

15

10

10

568

66

78		 82

88

83
Office for National Statistics

* Letters signed by the National Statistician. Also includes 62 letters signed by HMT Ministers

**Letters sent direct National Statistician		 15
10





 153
82





 88*
78**
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

* Local Office and “delegated” figures (where local tax offices have replied directly to MPs)		 15
15


 4,826
1,252


 73
76*
Scotland Office 15 102 64
Department for Transport

- Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency

- Driving Standards Agency

- Highways Agency

- Vehicle and Operator Services Agency		 15

7


10

15

15
 8,393

1,692


227

365

56
 77

99


62

99

98
HM Treasury

- National Savings and Investments

- Office of Government Commerce

* Letters where ministers have replied
** Letters where Chief Executive has replied

- Valuation Office 		 15

15


15
15





18		 14,057

17


12
24





41		 80

88


83*
92**





73
Treasury Solicitor's Department 10 25 88
Wales Office 15 113 80
Department for Work and Pensions

- Child Support Agency

- Debt Management Service

- Disability and Carers Service

- Health and Safety Executive

- Jobcentre Plus

- The Pension Service		 20


15

15

15

15

15

15		 15,360


7,313

56

598

149

2,229

1,477		 84


100

100

100

98

83

98
  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. 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.
  3. Communities and Local Government's performance improved in 2008 and it continues to take measures to improve further.
  4. 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.
  5. DEFRA/BERR currently handle DECC correspondence. The setting up of new department led to delays in responding to correspondence. Measures being put in place to improve correspondence performance as a matter of high priority.
  6. Creation of DECC led to a significant increase in correspondence which was initially handled by DEFRA. Prior to this 75% of correspondence was responded to within target.
  7. 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.
  8. The FSA and DH are working together to minimise delays in the processing of correspondence.
  9. 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.
  10. Includes HM Prison Service