John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Fianna Fail)
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Question 327: To ask the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport the proposals she has to ensure that representations made by Members of the Oireachtas on behalf of members of the public to her Department are responded to; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26909/10]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The Department endeavours to meet the following standards in relation to responding to written correspondence, as set out in our Customer Charter 2010. Written representations are acknowledged within 5 working days of their receipt, with a definitive reply provided to the vast majority of them within 20 working days. In cases where there will be a delay in replying, an interim reply is normally issued, explaining the position, before the 20-day period expires. In addition, where written representations are made directly to my Office or to the Office of the Secretary General within the Department, such representations are entered into an electronic Correspondence Tracking System so that their progress may be tracked until the issuance of a final reply occurs. If customers feel that the Department's customer service commitments in respect of representations are not met, they have access to a complaints and redress service via the Department's Customer Services Manager.