HC Deb 19 December 1988 vol 144 cc135-6W
Mr. Kirkwood

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will list in theOfficial Report the types of intrusion he is trying to prohibit in designing his departmental computer security systems;

(2) what steps are being taken to protect departmental computer systems against theft of data, malicious damage or illegal tampering with data;

(3) whether encryption techniques are being employed in his department security system;

(4) what plans he has to deal with the safety of back-up storage facilities for computer data in his departmental security systems;

(5) what plans he has to control access to information held in individual files in his departmental computer systems;

(6) whether his computer security system will restrict access to the originator of the data;

Mr. Mellor

We do not hold the information centrally for the years before 1984–85. Grant aid approved for the National Children's Home for the financial years 1984–85 to 1989–90 is as follows:

(7) what recovery procedures are available to a security supervisor of his departmental computer system when passwords are forgotten;

(8) if there is any system for monitoring terminal usage in his departmental computer system;

(9) what procedures exist to remove protection on particular files to make computer data available for general release;

(10) whether his departmental security system includes physical devices such as keys to protect computer data.

Mr. Douglas Hogg

The Home Office has a large number of mainframe, mini and micro computer based systems in use. To safeguard them, there exists a wide range of measures designed to protect the data that they contain from all known threats, including unauthorised access and intrusion. Given the wide range of systems in use, it would not be practicable to list all the protective measures which support them; nor, for obvious reasons, would it be sensible to make such information public. All aspects of risk to computer systems are kept under review, and additional precautions are taken as and when necessary.

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