Hansard

Departmental ICT

Volume 472: debated on Thursday 6 March 2008

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Sarah Teather

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many (a) mobile telephones, (b) personal digital assistants and (c) laptop computers issued to departmental staff were reported (i) lost, (ii) missing and (iii) stolen in each year since 2001. (184345)

Jonathan Shaw

The following figures show the reported number of thefts/losses of mobile telephones, personal digital assistants and laptops from 2001.

Mobile phones

Personal digital assistants including Blackberry and palm top devices

Laptops

2001-02

1

0

13

2002-03

0

12

23

2003-04

1

0

2

2004-051

0

1

3

2005-061

4

1

18

2006-071

4

8

22

2007-08 (to date1)

0

1

13

1 Following the outsourcing of IT services to IBM in October 2004, computers/laptops are no longer classed as departmental assets as they form part of the overall contract for the provision of IT services. All IT equipment therefore belongs to IBM. However, in an effort to reduce the losses of laptops, advice and guidance on the security of portable computer equipment is regularly issued to users.