PARLIAMENTARY EARLY DAY MOTION
CONDUCT OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE ENVIRONMENT, TRANSPORT AND THE REGIONS AND CORRESPONDENCE WITH HONOURABLE MEMBERS (12 July 1999)

That this House notes with concern the failure of the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions to respond to a letter from the honourable Member for New Forest East when originally sent on 16th March and when faxed to his office on 25th May; further notes that the only matter discussed over the telephone by the Secretary of State's and honourable Member's offices was the Secretary of State's repeated failure to reply; therefore deplores the misleading written Answer on 8th July to a written failure to reply; therefore deplores the misleading written Answer on 8th July to a written question from the honourable Member for New Forest East, in which the Secretary of State wrongly stated that his reason for repeatedly failing to reply, was that 'the matter was dealt with by our offices over the telephone'; and accordingly calls upon the Secretary of State to handle his correspondence from honourable Members properly in future, rather than seeking to shield his incompetence and discourtesy.

Sponsored by:
Sir Desmond Swayne (Conservative)