The latter will be particularly important to deal with the growing number of enquiries received by e-mail. Research through the People's Panel shows that users expect a quicker reply to e-mails than to traditional written correspondence. Guidance issued last year and published on the Cabinet Office website makes clear that where it will not be possible to answer an e-mail within a few days, an acknowledgement should be sent telling the sender that they will receive a full reply within the department's correspondence standard. The table below sets out the target and performance of the main departments and agencies. The figures are not directly comparable because targets vary and the nature and volume of correspondence varies widely between departments.
More detailed information is available by contacting individual departments and agencies direct.
No Performance has been rounded up or down to the nearest whole figure MAFF's Regional Service Centres have a 10 working day target. Performance in responding to complaints only. Total volume covers public correspondence sent to Ministers or to the Department as a whole. It does not include correspondence sent direct to individual branches or units. The company assesses the letters for quality as well as speed of reply.