To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many Government departments have been infected by the Melissa virus; and if he will make a statement. [80225]

Each Government department is responsible for its own security, but departments are encouraged to report all IT security incidents, including virus infections, to the Unified Incident Reporting and Alert Scheme (UNIRAS), co-ordinated by the Security Service. UNIRAS issued a warning to Government departments about the Melissa virus on 29 March, giving advice on appropriate countermeasures. No department has so far reported any infection by Melissa, but the UNIRAS team anticipate that there might be a number of incidents, about which they would expect to receive routine reports in due course.