Something must have got lost in the communication system within the Labour government, which has based most of its success on how the media is tackled and what messages are sent out there to the people.

Nationalist MP Claudette Buttigieg submitted one question to different ministries, and the government propaganda machine must have gone on red alert. It was probably thought that there was a catch somewhere.

And so several ministries came up with more or less the same reply, a standard response that does not give too much away.

But something went wrong as ministers Leo Brincat and Evarist Bartolo gave more details, and somehow this exposed the rest.

The question was simple: How many people are employed in the private secretariat of the ministry as customer care officers?

It was asked - over a period of time, and not in the same sitting - to Leo Brincat, Evarist Bartolo, Anton Refalo, Edward Scicluna, Konrad Mizzi and Michael Farrugia.

Leo Brincat said three people are employed in customer care. Evarist Bartolo replied that he had double that - six.

But the other four came with a reply which was more or less the same: The honourable MP is to be notified that the number of people employed in customer care is that which is established for ministries.

No number was given by any of these four ministries, and all relied on the rules of staff engagement for ministries.

There is one issue, however. These rules stipulate that one person is to be employed in customer relations, Mrs Buttigieg said.