Committee publication · Correspondence · 3 June 2026

Letter from the Chair to the Foreign Secretary relating to a request for a ministerial appearance on WPQ performance, dated 21 May 2026

Inquiry: Written Parliamentary Questions: Departmental performance in Session 2024-26

Summary

The Procedure Committee Chair requests that the Foreign Secretary send a minister to give oral evidence on the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's performance in responding to Written Parliamentary Questions. The Committee notes a significant drop in performance and seeks reassurance on remedial actions, urging a session before Summer Recess to inform the Committee's final report.

Key findings

The FCDO experienced a significant drop in WPQ response performance in periods covered by the Committee's April letter.
The ministerial team at the FCDO remains broadly unchanged since the performance decline occurred.
The Department for Education has already volunteered to send a minister to discuss its similar performance issues in June.
The Committee wants a ministerial appearance before Summer Recess to enable timely final reporting and government-wide implementation of recommendations.

Tone

Procedural

Topics

parliamentary-questionsgovernment-accountabilitydepartmental-performance

Key actors

Cat Smith MP, Yvette Cooper MP, Sir Alan Campbell MP, Dame Emily Thornberry MP, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Department for Education, Procedure Committee

Notable line

“The Committee remains keen to understand why this significant drop in performance occurred, and to receive reassurance as to the actions taken to ensure that it will not reoccur in the future.”

Key Quotes

“Nevertheless, it is undeniable that there was a significant drop in performance in the periods mentioned in my letter of 7 April, and we note that the Ministerial team in the FCDO is broadly the same now as it was then.”
— Cat Smith MP · Acknowledging the FCDO's performance decline despite ministerial claims of improvement

“It may be of interest to note that the Department for Education – who received a similar letter of concern from me in April – has already volunteered to send a Minister to speak to us in June regarding the department's performance.”
— Cat Smith MP · Noting peer department's cooperation and implying expected reciprocal action from FCDO

“… having a timely understanding of the issues faced by the FCDO and the steps taken to address those issues will enable the Committee to produce its final report on Session 2024-26 promptly”
— Cat Smith MP · Explaining why the Committee seeks urgent ministerial appearance

View original document →

Source · parliament.uk record ↗