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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 25 Jun 1996

Vol. 467 No. 4

Written Answers. - Breaches of Confidentiality.

Joe Walsh

Ceist:

238 Mr. J. Walsh asked the Minister for Social Welfare whether breaches of confidentiality have been detected in his Department since January 1995; if so, the nature of the breach(es) and the consequent actions, if any, taken; and the mechanisms that are in place to minimise the risk of such breaches particularly by way of information technology abuse. [13614/96]

In the run-up to the 1995 budget, a portion of the contents of a draft social welfare factsheet containing details of the main social welfare increases and rates was reproduced in the Irish Press on 8 February 1995. Subsequent inquiries in my Department revealed that there was a breach of confidentiality on the part of an official of the Department. The case was dealt with as a disciplinary matter under the terms of the disciplinary code applicable to civil servants. Formal disciplinary action was taken against the officer concerned.

Information is one of the key assets of my Department. As one of a series of measures aimed at safeguarding the integrity, confidentiality and availability of the information, whether in computerised or other format, held in the Department, a business information protection policy, which applies equally to the staff and agents of my Department, has been formulated. As part of this policy, a comprehensive programme has been initiated to increase awareness among staff of the importance of the need to ensure that the confidentiality, integrity and availability of the Department's information is maintained. This has involved the circulation to all staff of the Department's policy document on information protection, the inclusion of information protection awareness in a range of training courses and the carrying out of periodic surveys on the effectiveness of security measures. My Department is also a member of the European Security Forum which aims to increase awareness of security issues and encourage best practice.
In relation to information technology, the security of computer systems receives a high degree of attention within the Department and a number of reviews are carried out regularly. This issue is also covered in regular audits by the Department's internal audit unit. For obvious reasons, it would be inappropriate for me to disclose the range of security measures in place which are aimed at safeguarding the integrity of my Department's information technology systems.
On a general basis, all staff of the Department, established and unestablished, are required to sign the acknowledgement, nothing its contents, to Circular 15/79: Official Secrecy and Integrity. In relation to the confidentiality of Government memoranda, the procedures followed in my Department are those set out in the Government Procedures Instructions, 1983, as amended. Staff are also subject to the terms of the Data Protection Act, 1988 which provides for heavy penalties in the event of breaches of the legislation. Staff are constantly reminded of their responsibilities under the act and comprehensive guidelines in this regard have been issued to them. In addition, consultants engaged by the Department are required to sign an undertaking for the purposes of complying with the Official Secrets Act, 1963 and the Data Protection Act, 1988.
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