Nick Herbert (Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; Arundel & South Downs, Conservative)

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many (a) data tapes, (b) CDs, (c) memory sticks, (d) laptops and (e) other equipment containing data of each type have been lost from (i) his Department and (ii) each of his Department's agencies in each of the last five years.

Hilary Benn (Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; Leeds Central, Labour)

holding answer 3 November 2009

Details of total losses or thefts from DEFRA and some of its agencies from 2005-06 onwards of mobile phones, blackberries (including PDAs) and laptops were provided in response to a question from the hon. Member from Putney (Justine Greening) 19 October 2009, Hansard, column 1212W. A further breakdown and complete agency figures are not available centrally and could be collected only at disproportionate cost. Prior to 2008, losses of data tapes, CDs and memory sticks were not recorded or collected centrally. Thereafter losses involving personal protected information were recorded and details were published in the 2008 departmental Annual Report:

http://defraweb/corporate/about/how/deprep/index.htm

and in the 2008-09 departmental Resource Accounts:

http://defraweb/corporate/about/how/finance/resource-accounts/docs/resource-accounts2008-2009.pdf