SECTION HEADS
PLEASE ENSURE THAT ALL
MEMBERS OF YOUR SECTIONS
1725 AWARE OF THESE
CE Miss Stati
CL
Mr Wood
Mr Momis
N 3/1
FCO Circular No:
کے
Mliman
IMPORTANT
INJUNCTIONS
23/89
Date: 24 January 1989
DISTRIBUTION: Heads of Department and above
For action: Heads of Department
FCO ANSWERS TO PARLIAMENTARY QUESTIONS
Miss Marsden Mr Foodman 31 11
Mr Wood back to me
W/201
1. Ministers have recently noticed a deterioration in the quality of drafting of answers to PQS. In particular, they have found the Supplementary Question answers, provided when the FCO is first in the order for questions (TOPS), to be weak. On a number of recent occasions, the briefing provided for Ministers has been thin in content and not fully up to date. Moreover, there are signs that not enough effort is going into predicting issues on which Ministers can expect to be tackled at the despatch box. Pre-prepared material seems too often to be taken from word processors with little or no thought given to possible improvement in presentation.
2.
I should be grateful, therefore, if Heads of Departments would ensure that rather more attention is paid to work on PQs. At present the main answers are too long. Oral Answers should be no more than 5 lines long, and should contain no unnecessary detail. Succinctness is the keynote. It is most important, too, for departments to keep themselves fully aware of posts' and media coverage of developments affecting the questions they are answering. Only departments can say if their supplementary answers submitted in advance are still fully current when a Minister enters the Chamber on the afternoon of TOPS day. Do read the newspapers closely, therefore, in the days and hours just before TOPS.
3. I commend to you the examples of go i supplementary drafting which the Private Office circ ated in 1986. A copy is attached.
All officers preparing PQ answers should have their own at their elbow.
4.
We should remember that the monthly TOPS is the most important public occasion when our Ministers face Parliament to account for our policies and our work. I am conscious that many demands are placed on the time and energy of busy departments: but the preparation of briefing for PQs should always be considered a priority task.
GK1AJH
Patrick Wright