To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many confirmed security breaches of databases controlled by his Department occurred in each of the last five years; whether the breach resulted from internal or external sources in each case; how many records were compromised on each occasion; and what estimate was made of the total number of records accessible to the individuals concerned. (92836)

The number of cases of computer hacking detected in the Department for Education and Skills was nil in 2001-02, 2002-03 and 2003-04. There was one case of computer hacking in 2004-05 which was perpetrated by an outsider. There have been no other cases since then.