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<p>The Department does not measure timings as described in the question and to determine
this request, we would need to examine each individual case, which the Department
considers to be cost prohibitive to provide.</p><p> </p><p>The Department has a 15
working day target for MP to Director General Correspondence and a 20 working day
target for Private Office correspondence. These timescales are in line with Cabinet
Office directives.</p><p> </p><p>As part of our response to the COVID-19 pandemic,
the Department had to make changes to its complaints and MP correspondence model to
allow staff to be deployed to support processing benefit claims and payments. From
9 July 2020, the Department now triage complaints and MP Correspondence giving priority
to vulnerable claimants who may be at risk, and those with benefit payment issues.</p><p>
</p><p>We continue to look into all complaints and MP correspondence as quickly as
we can and, as part of the triage process used to determine priority, we write or
call those customers and MPs where there may be a delay in answering their complaint
or enquiry.</p><p> </p><p>We are reviewing the effectiveness of the approach we have
taken throughout the pandemic as part of an ongoing review into complaints and MP
correspondence handling.</p>
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