§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many answers to parliamentary questions by Ministers in his Department in the last 12 months have exceeded the advisory cost limit; and if he will make a statement. [19344]
§ Sir Nicholas Bonsor[holding answer 10 March 1997]: Where the cost of answering a particular parliamentary question is estimated to exceed £450, it is the general practice for departments to make it clear that the question could be answered only by incurring disproportionate cost. Given the large numbers of questions tabled, it would be unreasonable for this Department to calculate systematically the exact cost of answering every single parliamentary question.