• The strictures of austerity continue to provide useful camouflage for a coalition disinclined to match words with deeds in terms of promises made about transparency. This may make for an uncomfortable two days as ministers host their two-day conference starting today on the theme of open government. For as belts are tightened, ministers find themselves able to dodge all sorts of questions on the basis that answering them would cost too much money. The other day the straw that would have broken the camel's back was a request to discover how much was spent on the ludicrous immigration van debacle. Quite separately, campaigners have been trying to find out the extent of contact, if any, between the energy secretary Ed Davey and the French power company EDF. Love to tell you, guv, say the mandarins. But we can't afford to. "It is clear that we will not be able to answer your request without exceeding the cost limit of £600 provided under s12 of the Freedom of Information Act. This represents the estimated cost of one person spending 3.5 working days in determining whether the department holds the information, locating, retrieving and extracting the information." The slower they work, the more it costs – and, consequently, the less they have to make public. As fixes go, that's a thing of beauty, isn't it?

• There really is a lot they would really rather not talk about. How many power failures have there been on our nuclear submarines, asked Angus Robertson, the MP for Moray and SNP leader in Westminster, and will the government "place in the library the lessons learned review conducted for each incident?" Sorry, guv, said defence minister Philip Dunne. "I am withholding placing the reports into the library of the House as their release would prejudice the capability, effectiveness and security of the armed forces."

• OK. What about Hinkley Point, proposed site of the first new nuclear plant in the UK in a generation? What, asked MP Paul Flynn, are the financial arrangements that would allow investors to access the £10bn loan guarantee dangled before them by ministers. Sorry, said Nicky Morgan of the Treasury. "Non-disclosure agreements have been signed ahead of commercial discussions." Open government? Not yet.

• An invitation, much welcomed, to attend the forthcoming Study of Russia exhibition. Last year foreign secretary William Hague and Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov signed the Year of Culture agreement, highlighting 2014 as the UK-Russia Year of Culture. Which is entirely laudable. The invitation holds out the promise of an event featuring "traditional Russian-style afternoon tea". Which is, by all accounts, wholesome, delicious and not to be confused with the unconventional afternoon tea with polonium fatally served up by Russian agents in London to dissident Alexander Litvinenko in 2006. The main suspect for his murder, Andrei Lugovoi, has never been extradited from Russia and never faced a jury, despite being recommended for trial by the DPP. Indeed, in 2007 he was elected to the state Duma, where he remains, cocking a snook at the British authorities. Still, diplomacy moves on. Events will be jollier for his absence, don't you think?

• Finally, such sport it was, seeing some of those at the top of the big six energy companies lined up in front of the energy and climate change select committee, like coconuts at the fair. At the weekend Ed Miliband made it clear to the nation – and the Mail on Sunday – that henceforth, he will have nothing to do with them. He's switched from E.ON to one of the smaller companies, First Utility. Yesterday the prime minister raised it in the House. And perhaps the switch will go well for Ed. But with all the other stuff he has on his plate, one does wonder how closely he considered this realignment. Colleagues on the admirable Guardian Money section have had much to do with First Utility over the years – acting on behalf of readers who get in touch over various difficulties – and let us put it this way: none of our experts have moved to place their own energy fortunes in the care of that supplier. Maybe Ed knows something they don't. We shall see.

Twitter: @hugh_muir

• This article was amended on 1 November 2013. The earlier version referred to "Soviet agents"; this has been changed to "Russian agents"