§ Mr. McMasterTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many parliamentary questions to his Department have not been answered because of 621W disproportionate costs or because the information requested was not held centrally over the last five years; how many could be answered now due to computerisation and/or more effective operational systems; and if he will list each such question along with the name and constituency of the hon. Member who tabled it.
§ Mr. HanleyMy Department has answered nearly 14,000 parliamentary questions over the past five years, of which less than 250, or under 2 per cent., have not been answered because of disproportionate cost or because the information requested was not held centrally. No doubt as computer and operational systems continue to improve, there will be increased potential for this percentage to decline.