Inconvenient information is ‘not available centrally’

If an MP writes to a government minister with an awkward question that could generate an embarrassing or inconvenient response, like as not the minister will take refuge behind a catch all written response claiming the information is not collected or available ‘centrally‘. 

Often this brush off is accompanied by a rider suggesting the collection of such information would be detrimental to the taxpyer because the information ‘could be provided only at disproportionate cost’.  That’s consideration for you.  How novel that this government actually thinks about the likely cost before doing something (this sentence may contain traces of sarcasm). 

There are instances of this cropping up in Parliament every day and it is clear that the government, by using this excuse, is treating Parliament and voters with contempt.  Here is a random sample of such excuses used just this week taken from Hansard:

Mr. Baron:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many overseas training courses were attended by her Department’s civil servants in the latest period for which figures are available; how many civil servants attended each course; and what the total cost to the public purse was of each course.

Angela Eagle:
The Department does not hold records on the information requested centrally; individual business units retain records locally and as such this information could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.

How about…

Norman Baker:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department and its predecessor have paid in vehicle clamping charges incurred on (a) privately-owned and (b) publicly-owned land in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

Dan Norris:
This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The Department would expect clamping charges and any other motoring fines to be paid by the individual(s) who incurred them.

And there’s this…

Mr. Drew:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many hotel room nights were booked by officials in (a) his Department and (b) its agencies in each year since its inception; and how much (i) his Department and (ii) its agencies spent on the fees of third party agents in booking hotel accommodation in each of those years.

Joan Ruddock:
Since its inception on 3 October 2008 and from information held centrally, the number of hotel room nights booked by officials in my Department by November 2009 totalled 1,006. Additionally some officials booked accommodation using their Government procurement cards (GPCs) and to provide details of each transaction would entail disproportionate cost.

Hotel accommodation is provided through a cross-Government hotel booking agent contract awarded by Buying Solutions. Records of fees paid are not centrally recorded and to provide this information would entail disproportionate cost.

Also worth a mention is…

Tim Loughton:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many young people in each youth offending team area were (a) assaulted with a knife and (b) killed in a knife attack in each year since 1997.

Mr. Alan Campbell:
The requested information is not collected centrally.

And this…

Chris Huhne:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many employees of his Department and its agencies have been convicted of a criminal offence of each type in each year since 1997.

Paul Goggins:
While details of criminal convictions would be on the personnel files of employees they are not held centrally.

You get the picture.  The pattern that emerges is that if the information is likely to show evidence of waste, incompetence, policy failure or in some way incriminate the government, the topic is one that is not collected centrally, or would cost too much to investigate.  How convenient.  It is hardly going to make the public more trusting of politicians or pique their interest in reconnecting with the political process.  This is just another example of how democracy is undermined and how poorly served we are by this shambolic and deceitful government.