This newsroom has had many Freedom of Information (FOI) requests turned down over the past year relating to important matters such as the citizenship scheme and power-purchase agreement. This time round, the Malta Independent filed a slightly more frivolous request.

We asked the government how many cups of tea and coffee are consumed on average during the government’s weekly Cabinet meetings. We also requested to know what catering expenses are incurred during the average Cabinet meeting, which has 23 hungry mouths to feed.

The newsroom is not overly concerned with the Cabinet’s tea and coffee consumption. Running the country must be a thirsty business, and as the saying goes, an army marches on its stomach, so even Dr Muscat’s suldati tal Azzar (soldiers of steel) need a bite to eat. Rather, the aim was to see whether the government would entertain a simple enough freedom of information request.

No such luck. The reply to the request was that no separate records are kept as to the quantities of tea and coffee consumed specifically during Cabinet meetings. The part of the request asking about the cost of snacks and other goodies during the average Cabinet meeting was ignored, which really takes the biscuit.

Over the past year, the Cabinet has held meetings in various localities such as Marsaxlokk, Mellieha and Gozo with waiters in tow to provide refreshments and snacks. Presumably, some records do exist as to the catering expenses of the prime minister’s roving Cabinet.

On a more serious note, sources have told this newsroom that both the previous and current governments have refused a proposal to provide training to journalists on the freedom of information act. The two most common get out of jail free excuses given by the government for turning down FOI requests are either that providing the information requested is not in the national interest, or the information is commercially sensitive.

The FOI act is not restricted to journalists. John Citizen is free to file his own requests. According to the government FOI’s website,  “the Act gives general public a right to access documents held by public authorities, including all ministries and departments, and thus increases transparency and accountability.”

So, get filing away. Who knows, you might get lucky!