To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many thefts from his Department have been recorded in the last two years. (318996)

The Department records theft and other losses, but does not separately distinguish between the two for reporting purposes. The centrally recorded thefts and losses during the last two financial years for the Department and its predecessor, the Department for Constitutional Affairs (created in May 2007), including its agencies and other offices, are:

The number of such cases involving theft could be provided only at disproportionate cost. This detail is recorded in individual incident records held locally by the Department's various agencies and other business areas. The increase in the number of incidents is believed to be due to the increased awareness of the requirement for reporting, arising from the Data Handling Review.