To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many staff have been dismissed from his Department as a consequence of a breach of security in the last three years. (210381)

[holding answer 12 June 2008]: Information on the number of staff who have been dismissed as a consequence of a breach of security is not available in the format requested.

Since April 2007, when the new personal computer system was introduced, disciplinary action for breaches of security has been recorded under general headings of computer misuse or disclosure of information. There are currently no records held on the system for dismissals on grounds of computer misuse or disclosure of information.

To extract more detailed information from individual records under this category would incur disproportionate cost.