Our esteemed leaders willingly and happily informing us exactly where they squander the exorbitant sums of which they relieve us? Next you'll tell me you still believe in the tooth fairy...(or NHS dentists, as they were once called).

Maybe we could do some inexpensive reporting from the Combined Online Information System (COINS [sic])?

See here:

http://www.descisys.com/downloads/IE%20CS%20HM%20Treasury.pdf

If the various government depertments don't already have the information, I think the UK taxpayer has a right to ask why not. Are they telling us that they don't know where the money is going?

Can I use the "it would cost too much to gather the data" excuse next time the Inland Revenue come calling?

What we have here is the UK Gov saying they have no idea where the money is being spent. Or they are lying and don't want to tell us (as an eariler poster has already identified the system used (COINS))

If the HM Treasury do not know or the NAO has no idea then I think we are in big trouble.

But they'd still have to spend billions finding people who cant program to save their lives to bid for the contract. Or at least thats the way they seem to work...

...and anyone that challenges that will be arrested under the "Prevention of Terrorism" act.

Imagine how much it would cost for them to implement this website and keep it up to date?

An alternative answer would be to point out that it could be a page on www.direct.gov.uk (though I expect that cost too much too)

Responding for the government, Cabinet Office minister Gillian Merron said the bill was unrealistic on the grounds of cost. "

...

"she said that "work is already under way in the Treasury to expand further the quantity of expenditure information on the public website, as well as to restructure the information to make it easier to navigate and search"

Did anyone else read that as "it's too expensive! and in case you don't believe that, we're doing it anyway. Really. We are. Honest.... *moves away shiftily*"?

Anyone?