HC Deb 10 November 2003 vol 413 cc153-4W
Dr. Cable

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much has been(a) budgeted and (b) spent by his Department since April 2002 on (i) combating computer fraud, (ii) preventing theft of computers and (iii) safeguarding the security of information held on computer; and if he will make a statement. [128797]

Yvette Cooper

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister manages the security of its information, including information held on its computer system, in accordance with the guidance given in the Manual of Protective Security, a comprehensive body of policy and interdepartmentally agreed security standards that is issued by the Cabinet Office.

Over the period referred to, many of the services involved in managing our security, were provided jointly to Department for Transport (DfT)as well as the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. In addition, the services are provided as part of the overall provision of Information Technology, Audit and other security related service. It is therefore not possible to provide an accurate breakdown in the way requested without incurring disproportionate cost.

The overall staff costs across both Departments for some of the areas contributing to the management of our security are:

£thousand
IT Audit Services: 224.5
IT Security Office: 122.3
Internal Firewall Management: 216.2
Other IT Security Services: 158.3

As part of the commitment to information security, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is currently moving to compliance with BS7799 for corporate ICT services for DfT and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. The budget for this project is £300,000 for 2002–04.

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