Introduction
1. The Prime Minister has highlighted the importance he attaches to all correspondence being dealt with effectively and efficiently. Departments should ensure that the handling of all correspondence, including correspondence from members of the public and Members of Parliament and Peers, is given the highest priority.
2. The following guidance has been prepared by the Cabinet Office, in conjunction with other departments, for officials working in Ministerial Correspondence Units or who otherwise routinely handle correspondence. Its purpose is to remind departments of the general principles they should follow when replying to correspondence from Members of both Houses. Examples of good practice can be found at Annex A . This replaces the guidance published in July 2000 and now contains more detailed guidance on the handling of transfers of correspondence between departments, cross-departmental correspondence and the resolving of disputes. It also provides guidance on the handling of correspondence from Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) and Members of the Devolved Legislatures.
3. The guidance should be used in conjunction with any internal guidance departments may produce for officials who regularly draft replies to such correspondence. The same principles apply to the handling of Peers' correspondence.
4. Any questions on the handling of correspondence should, in the first instance, be directed towards departments' own correspondence units. Any questions specifically on this Guidance should be addressed to the Cabinet Office, Propriety and Ethics Team, Room 118, 70 Whitehall, London SW1A 2AS (020 7276 2473).
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