Written question asked by Margaret Ewing (Scottish National Party) on Tuesday, 3 February 1998, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 10 February 1998. It was answered by Geoffrey Hoon (Labour) on Tuesday, 10 February 1998 on behalf of the Lord Chancellor's Department.

Lord Chancellors Dept

Question: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, what is his policy for responding to letters received in the (a) Scottish Gaelic, (b) Welsh, (c) Urdu, (d) Hindi and (e) Chinese language.

Answer: Mrs. Ewing: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what is his policy for responding to letters received in the (a) Scottish Gaelic, (b) Welsh, (c) Urdu, (d) Hindi and (e) Chinese language. [28051] Mr. Hoon: The Lord Chancellor's Department does not have a written policy for responding to letters received in languages other than English and Welsh, other than that every effort should be made to respond to them. In cases where letters are written in Welsh, the practice of the Lord Chancellor's Department is to respond in Welsh to the same standards as if the reply was in English.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 28051; 306 c138W
Session: 1997-98
Subjects: Correspondence Government departments Languages Lord Chancellor's Department