§ Mr. ColvinTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what measures he is taking to ensure the security of(a) his Department's computers in house and (b) lap-top personal computers when used by his civil servants outside his Department's offices.
§ Miss WiddecombeIt is not Government policy to disclose details of the protective security measures for safeguarding computers used for official purposes. To do so would be of assistance to potential attackers and therefore reduce the effectiveness of the measures. These measures are kept under review. The Department of Social Security does not process classified information on its mainframe or lap-top computers.