Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what data their Department holds on the average response time to written parliamentary questions in the last six months; and what assessment they have made of the adequacy of that response time.

Answered by Alex Burghart - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Government attaches great importance to the effective and timely handling of Written Parliamentary Questions and every effort is made to reply within the original deadline. However, if the matters raised in the question require substantial investigation, it might not be possible to provide a substantive reply to a case within the departmental deadline. To instil best practice in the Cabinet Office, we host regular departmental training sessions for parliamentary, private office and policy leads.

The Cabinet Office’s Guide to Parliamentary Work sets out the timelines departments should seek to meet. This can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1116933/2022-10-11_-_Guide_to_Parliamentary_Work___1_.pdf

Departmental performance on Written Parliamentary Questions is published at the end of each session by the Procedure Committee and is therefore publicly available. You can find details of the last session's PQ performance here: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5803/cmselect/cmproced/385/report.html

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps their Department is taking to improve response times to written parliamentary questions.

Answered by Alex Burghart - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Government attaches great importance to the effective and timely handling of Written Parliamentary Questions and every effort is made to reply within the original deadline. However, if the matters raised in the question require substantial investigation, it might not be possible to provide a substantive reply to a case within the departmental deadline. To instil best practice in the Cabinet Office, we host regular departmental training sessions for parliamentary, private office and policy leads.

The Cabinet Office’s Guide to Parliamentary Work sets out the timelines departments should seek to meet. This can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1116933/2022-10-11_-_Guide_to_Parliamentary_Work___1_.pdf

Departmental performance on Written Parliamentary Questions is published at the end of each session by the Procedure Committee and is therefore publicly available. You can find details of the last session's PQ performance here: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5803/cmselect/cmproced/385/report.html

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to respond to Question 152308, tabled on 24 February 2023 by the hon. Member for North East Fife.

Answered by Alex Burghart - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

I tabled an answer to Question 152308 on 9 March.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of (a) ordinary and (b) named-day written questions their Department answered on time in 2022.

Answered by Jeremy Quin

Our internal records show that for all cases due with Parliament between 01/01/2022 and 31/12/2022 to which Cabinet Office responded, 92% of ordinary written questions were answered on time and 83% of named-day written questions were answered on time.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to answer Question 47403 on Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Special Advisers, tabled by the Rt hon. Member for Islington South and Finsbury on 5 September 2022, on whether (a) Mr Adam Jones, (b) Ms Sophie Jarvis, (c) Mr Jamie Hope, (d) Mr Reuben Solomon and (e) Ms Sarah Ludlow were continuously employed by the Cabinet Office on full-time special adviser contracts to work at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office between 7 July 2022 and 2 September 2022.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

I refer the Rt hon. Member to PQ 47403, answered on 25 October.

Question

To ask the Leader of the House, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Evans of Bowes Park on 26 January (HL5538), what assessment they have made of (1) whether, and (2) how, the Written Answers by Lord True on 10 January (HL5119) and 18 January (HL5234, HL5235, HL5236 and HL5360) conform to the criteria set out in the Written Answer.

Answered by Baroness Evans of Bowes Park

I have noted the questions referenced, as well as the Noble Lord’s three further questions submitted to the department in question (HL5696, HL5697, HL5698). I would refer the Noble Lord to the recently issued answers to these from the department.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to answer Question 107502, tabled by the hon. Member for Islington South and Finsbury on 18 January 2021.

Answered by Michael Ellis

I refer the Rt Hon Member to my response on 7 February 2022 to PQ107502.

Question

To ask the Leader of the House, further to the Written Answers by Lord True on 10 January (HL5119) and 18 January (HL5234, HL5235, HL5236 and HL5360), what assessment she has made of the extent to which Ministers answer written questions from Members of the House comprehensively; and what steps she is taking to support the requirement of the Ministerial Code that “Ministers should be as open as possible with Parliament and the public” in respect of answers to written questions.

Answered by Baroness Evans of Bowes Park

As Leader of the House I take very seriously the responsibility incumbent on all Ministers to provide full, timely and comprehensive answers to Questions for Written Answers.

Ministers are reminded regularly of the importance of their obligations to the House and under the ministerial code. My office works closely with all departmental Parliamentary teams and Private Offices to help provide advice on what is expected of them in providing such answers.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to answer Question 90429, on 10 Downing Street, tabled by the hon. Member for Ashton-under-Lyne on 9 December 2021.

Answered by Michael Ellis

I responded to the Rt. Hon Member’s Parliamentary Question, 90429, on 20 January.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he plans to answer Question 88733, tabled by the hon. Member for Ashton-under-Lyne on 7 December 2021, before the House rises on 16 December 2021.

Answered by Michael Ellis

I responded to the Rt. Hon Member’s Parliamentary Question, 88733, regarding the letter from Lord Pickles, on 16 December.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to respond to Question 58823 tabled by the hon. Member for Rossendale and Darwen on 19 October 2021.

Answered by Michael Ellis

A comprehensive reply on the details of government heating systems will be given to the Rt. Hon. Member in due course.