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Departmental Computer Security

Volume 410: debated on Thursday 11 September 2003

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To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 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. [128794]

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) manages the security of its information, including information held on its computer systems, 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.It is not possible to identify the resources devoted to these activities, since they form a part of the FCO's overall effort to combat illegal and unauthorised actions against its computer and other systems, and the theft of official assets from its buildings.

The FCO's internal auditing services are designed to deter and detect all types of fraud, including ensuring that anti-fraud controls are integrated into all systems at the development stage.

Internal security and access controls are in part designed to act as a deterrent against theft of official assets.

IT security controls, including auditing, are deployed to safeguard the information held on official IT systems.

The FCO is also a full participant in the current programme of compliance with BS7799, the British Standard for Information Security, and expects to achieve this by the end of 2003.

London

East

East Midlands

Staff

Percentage

Staff

Percentage

Staff

Percentage

FCO

1

(i) UK based2,430.0041.530.000.00970.0016.58
(ii) Locally employed (LE)0.000.000.000.000.000.00

NDPBs

2

Britain-Russia Centre0.000.000.000.000.000.00
British Assoc. for Central and Eastern Europe4.20100.000.000.000.000.00
British Council621.008.514.000.051.000.01
Great Britain-China Centre5.40100.000.000.000.000.00
Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission2.50100.000.000.000.000.00
Westminster Foundation for Democracy10.00100.000.000.000.000.00
Wilton Park30.000.000.000.000.000.00

BBC

World Service1,290.0082.270.000.000.000.00
Monitoring0.000.000.000.000.000.00

West Midlands

South East

South West

Staff

Percentage

Staff

Percentage

Staff

Percentage

FCO

1

(i) UK based0.000.00120.002.050.000.00
(ii) Locally employed (LE)0.000.000.000.000.000.00

NDPBs

2

Britain-Russia Centre0.000.000.000.000.000.00
British Assoc. for Central and Eastern Europe0.000.000.000.000.000.00
British Council2.000.0320.000.273.000.04
Great Britain-China Centre0.000.000.000.000.000.00
Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission0.000.000.000.000.000.00
Westminster Foundation for Democracy0.000.000.000.000.000.00
Wilton Park30.000.0069.00100.000.000.00

BBC

World Service0.000.000.000.000.000.00
Monitoring0.000.00391.0075.480.000.00

North East

North West

Yorkshire

Staff

Percentage

Staff

Percentage

Staff

Percentage

FCO

1

(i) UK based0.000.000.000.000.000.00
(ii) Locally employed (LE)0.000.000.000.000.000.00

NDPBs

2

Britain-Russia Centre0.000.000.000.000.000.00
British Assoc. for Central and Eastern Europe0.000.000.000.000.000.00
British Council2.000.03362.003.962.000.03
Great Britain-China Centre0.000.000.000.000.000.00