Question follow-through · 12207
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Telephone Services
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the average (a) waiting time for people calling and (b) time people spent on hold for his Department was in each of the last five years.
About this written question
A written question asks a government minister for information in writing. Parliament publishes the question and any answer.
- Answering body
- Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
- Tabled
- 31 Oct 2024
- Target answer date
- 4 Nov 2024
- Answer
- 11 Nov 2024 · 11 calendar days after tabling
Elapsed calendar days describe the record timeline, not whether Parliament considers an answer on time.
More questions by this MP on Environment and energy
- Fisheries: Quotas · 6 Nov 2024
- Merchant Shipping Act 1995 · 6 Nov 2024
- Fisheries: Territorial Waters · 6 Nov 2024
- Fisheries: Territorial Waters · 6 Nov 2024
- Fishing Vessels: Territorial Waters · 6 Nov 2024
Shared topic keywords suggest a connection; they do not establish a follow-up.
Votes on this topic
- Taxation (Energy and Vehicles) Bill Committee: New Clause 5 · 1 Jul 2026
- Taxation (Energy and Vehicles) Bill Committee: New Clause 4 · 1 Jul 2026
- Taxation (Energy and Vehicles) Bill Committee: New Clause 2 · 1 Jul 2026
These Commons divisions share a topic label. The question did not necessarily lead to a vote.
Recorded timeline
31 Oct 2024
Question tabled
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the average (a) waiting time for people calling and (b) time people spent on hold for his Department was in each of the last five years.
4 Nov 2024
Target answer date
Date supplied by the official written-questions record.
11 Nov 2024
Answer published
The average waiting time for people calling the Defra General Helpline in each of the last five years is set out below: Reporting Year Average Wait Time (minutes, seconds)2024 / 202501:112023 / 202401:232022 / 202300:502021 / 202200:582020 / 202100:322019...
Official data retrieved 27 Sept 2026.
Later records
Possible follow-up questions
Strong links require the same MP, department and exact heading. Other same-department questions are shown as unreviewed candidates, not as confirmed follow-ups. No debate link is asserted unless a stable source relationship exists.
Fisheries: Quotas
6 Nov 2024 · To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the (a) UK's initial demand for total allowable catch and (b) agreed outcome was for quotas for each species in its negotiations with the EU on fish quotas in each year since 2021
Merchant Shipping Act 1995
6 Nov 2024 · To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will amend the Merchant Shipping Act 1995 in line with the Merchant Shipping Act 1988.
Fisheries: Territorial Waters
6 Nov 2024 · To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will (a) introduce a licence fee for access to UK (a) territorial and (b) exclusive economic zone waters to foreign vessels granted permission to catch fish and (b) use that fee
Fisheries: Territorial Waters
6 Nov 2024 · To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing legislation to require that all fish caught in (a) UK territorial waters and (b) the UK exclusive economic zone are
Fishing Vessels: Territorial Waters
6 Nov 2024 · To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of banning all foreign supertrawlers from UK waters.
Fisheries: Territorial Waters
6 Nov 2024 · To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing (a) provenance and (b) tax tests to prevent vessels with foreign owners from flying a UK flag of convenience when c
Fisheries: Quotas
6 Nov 2024 · To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of (a) limiting and (b) banning commercial trading of fishing licence quotas.
Fisheries: UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement
6 Nov 2024 · To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department has taken to prepare for the expiration of the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement provisions on fishing on 30 June 2026.
Seagulls
13 Nov 2024 · To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of removing the protected status of seagulls.
Farmers: Demonstrations
13 Nov 2024 · To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department plan to attend the NFU farming rally on 19 November 2024.
Farms: Domestic Visits
19 Nov 2024 · To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many farms he has visited since 5 July 2024.
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Aviation
28 Nov 2024 · To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many international (a) air miles and (b) flights have been completed by (i) Ministers and (ii) officials in their Department since 5 July 2024.