asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if, pursuant to his statement to the House, Official Report, 27 November, columns 1107–16, he will now make a further statement about the investigations into answers to grouped written parliamentary questions given by his Department since he assumed office.

All groups of written questions that I and my Department's Ministers have answered since 15 May have been rechecked. With the exception of the questions from the hon. Member for Blackburn (Mr. Straw) which were the subject of my statement, there have been 69 occasions when a single answer has been given to a group of two or more written questions. All have been answered correctly.