§ Mr. DonohoeTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what steps his Department has taken to prevent the cloning of telephones being utilised by his Department; and if his Department has discussed this matter with any official agencies. [23463]
§ Mr. Hague[holding answer 9 May 1995]: Cloning is a general problem associated with the use of analogue cellphones. Minimising the risk of cloning would be achieved by moving from analogue to digital cellphones, using the global system for mobile communications, which has wide coverage within the UK and Europe.
The Department at this stage has not taken any positive steps to prevent cloning and before we do, the cost of the conversion from analogue to digital cellphones must be weighed against an assessment of the cloning exposure.
The Department has not at this stage discussed this matter with any official agencies.