To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many letters his Department has received during the 1988–89 parliamentary Session from hon. Members representing Welsh constituencies; and what was the average length of time between the receipt of the correspondence and the sending of a reply.

[holding answer 5 December 1989]: My Department received 2,997 letters from hon. Members representing Welsh constituencies during the 1988–89 parliamentary Session. Replies were sent, on average, 17 working days after receipt.