To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on how many occasions he has circulated guidance to other Departments in the last 12 months following the tabling of round-robin written parliamentary questions. (110931)

In its response to the Third Report of Session 2003-04 from the Public Administration Select Committee, the Government made clear that while individual Departments may liaise with each other when they receive the same question, this co-ordination

“does not cut across the line of ministerial accountability which is that it is for individual Ministers to decide on the final content of an answer to a Parliamentary Question”.

The Treasury has provided advice to other Government Departments on this basis.