asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will indicate the average time taken by his Department to provide a substantive answer to letters from right hon. and hon. Members during the 12 months period to the latest available date.

Information in the form requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. However, samples taken from records of correspondence dealt with during the period July 1984 to June 1985 indicate that the average time taken to reply to hon. Members' correspondence is approximately 3½ weeks.