Questions
Asked by
To ask the Leader of the House what changes have taken place in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to enable it to answer Questions for Written Answer within 14 days, in view of the department's performance in the 2008–09 Session to 30 April, when it was the second worst department with 32 per cent of questions answered within 14 days. [HL767]
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has introduced a range of new management and procedures to ensure it answers questions on time. For example, procedures now ensure that Questions, once ready for reply, are sent to Hansard immediately.
From Questions due for reply in June 2009 to December 2009, the proportion of Questions, cleared for response within 14 days, has been consecutively 83 per cent, 94 per cent, 58 per cent, 75 per cent, 88 per cent, 98 per cent, and 87 per cent.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers and officials take very seriously their responsibility to reply to Parliamentary Questions on time.
Asked by
To ask the Leader of the House whether she will publish the analysis of the number of Questions for Written Answer directed to each department between 30 April and the end of the Session, together with the number and percentage of those Questions which were not answered within 14 days. [HL898]
The table below sets out information on the number of Questions for Written Answer tabled and answered within 14 days by department.
Department Total In 14 % Total In 14 % Total In 14 % Total In 14 % AGO 1 1 100 0 0 n/a 1 1 100 0 0 n/a CLG 15 13 87 21 21 100 35 33 95 1 1 100 CO 25 9 36 24 14 58 32 22 69 1 0 0 DCMS 19 11 58 16 12 75 44 32 72 1 0 0 DECC 41 22 54 13 5 38 16 9 56 4 0 0 DEFRA 39 35 90 39 38 97 41 41 100 0 0 n/a BIS 11 5 45 29 15 52 24 14 58 0 0 0 DCSF 31 23 74 25 17 68 23 14 61 0 0 n/a DFID 23 20 87 12 I1 92 9 9 100 7 7 100 DFT 35 35 100 48 47 98 49 46 94 0 0 n/a DOH 113 102 90 125 121 97 126 107 85 27 0 0 DWP 12 4 33 19 16 84 18 16 88 0 0 n/a FCO 93 68 73 72 60 83 72 68 94 12 7 58 GEO 8 3 38 8 1 13 9 6 67 3 0 0 HMT* 39 26 67 43 30 70 66 64 97 0 0 n/a HO 146 56 38 43 25 58 111 51 46 9 0 0 MOD 25 24 96 23 20 90 43 37 86 9 4 44 MOJ 43 39 91 33 31 94 62 61 98 13 7 54 NIO 52 31 60 28 17 61 58 55 95 3 0 0 SO 2 1 50 0 0 n/a 0 0 n/a 0 0 n/a WO 1 1 100 0 0 n/a 0 0 n/a 0 0 n/a DIUS 19 11 58 3 0 0 See BIS See BIS 793 540 68% 624 501 80% 839 686 82% 90 26 29%
Department Total In l4 % Total In 14 % Total In 14 % AGO 0 0 n/a 5 5 100 1 0 0 CLG 7 2 29 15 7 47 17 13 77 CO 5 2 40 8 8 100 18 15 83 DCMS 3 1 33 16 7 44 7 7 100 DECC 4 0 0 45 31 69 2 1 50 DEFRA 7 7 100 16 15 94 42 40 95 BIS I1 6 55 22 20 91 7 7 100 DCSF 3 0 0 17 17 100 16 15 94 DFID 4 4 100 4 3 80 5 4 80 DFT 10 7 70 56 56 100 11 11 100 DOH 16 15 94 35 28 80 36 36 100 DWP 6 4 66 13 2 15 20 13 65 FCO 8 6 75 25 23 88 80 78 98 GEO 0 0 n/a 4 4 100 7 7 100 HMT* 32 29 91 27 26 96 32 28 88 HO 4 0 0 17 15 88 62 54 87 MOD 13 7 54 19 15 80 50 40 80 MOJ 9 9 100 6 6 100 33 29 88 NIO 3 0 0 27 18 67 27 17 63 SO 0 0 n/a 0 0 n/a 0 0 n/a WO 0 0 n/a 0 0 n/a 0 0 n/a DIUS See BIS See BIS See BIS 145 99 68% 377 306 81% 473 415 88%
Asked by
To ask the Leader of the House further to her Written Answer on 3 December (WA 77), in respect of how many of the Questions that were not answered before the end of the 2008–09 Session was an apology sent to the Member concerned for not having been answered within 14 days. [HL899]
I remain determined that departments take seriously their responsibilities to answer Questions on time and continue to reinforce that message with them. My office urged all those departments concerned to provide substantive Answers to the six Questions for Written Answer referred to in my Written Answer of 3 December. The precise terms in which they did so are, of course, a matter for the departments themselves.