Data Protection.

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 30 September 2008

Tuesday, 30 September 2008

Questions (299, 300)

Ruairí Quinn

Question:

410 Deputy Ruairí Quinn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the policies in place to secure portable electronic data devices in his Department; if those policies have been published; if so, the locations where they can be viewed; if a system of whole disk encryption has been rolled out to all laptops in his Department; the date by which he expects a satisfactory security policy on portable electronic data devices to have been implemented; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32406/08]

Written answers

Minister for Foreign Affairs (Deputy Micheál Martin)

My Department's policy is that all portable electronic data devices are encrypted. The policy is an operational one, overseen and implemented by the Department's ICT Unit at point of issue of such devices. Full hard disk encryption has been implemented on all laptops issued by my Department in the past three years.

Ruairí Quinn

Question:

411 Deputy Ruairí Quinn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of Department owned computer desktops or laptops or other data devices, such as blackberries and memory keys, reported lost, missing or stolen from his Department to date in 2008; the number of same later recovered or found; the number still missing; if sensitive or private data was compromised; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32421/08]

Minister for Foreign Affairs (Deputy Micheál Martin)

In the period in question two Department owned laptops have been stolen and one Department issued USB memory stick was lost. None of these items has been recovered to date. These devices did not contain any sensitive data and both laptops were encrypted.

Question No. 412 answered with Question No. 406.