Government 's contempt for Parliament laid bare in written "answer"

As readers know, I have had a little bee in my bonnet for some time about how the Government uses the argument of "disproportionate cost" to avoid answering even the most basic of questions in Parliament. In recent weeks, Theresa May appears to have picked the subject up and has started asking questions about it.

She has submitted a number of questions to departments asking how many questions they failed to answer, wholly or partly, on the grounds of disproportionate costs, in the last Parliamentary session, and I have to say I am stunned at one of the answers. I imagine some people will guess what is coming now, but just in case you don't, the Department for Communities and Local Government (formerly ODPM) said

Angela E. Smith: Information on how many questions were not answered wholly or in part on the grounds of disproportionate cost is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Yes that's right. It will cost us too much to tell you how many times we said it will cost us too much to tell you something.