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Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster

Answer

Mr. Sanders: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if his Department operates a monitoring exercise of persistent inquirers for information. [42644] Dr. David Clark: Yes. Guidance on dealing with voluminous or vexatious correspondence is available to all staff. The guidance emphasises, among other points: the general commitment to be as open and helpful as possible; the importance of ensuring that correspondents have indeed been provided with all the information they are entitled to, and have had the appeals procedures fully explained to them, before the correspondence is brought to an end; that decisions should be in accordance with the Guidance on Interpretation of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information; that, if further correspondence received after a "final letter" has been sent raises a new and substantive point, that should be treated as any other correspondence and a substantive response provided.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

42644; 312 c347W

Session

1997-98

Subjects

Information Government departments Government information services Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster